hemlock

[ hem-lok ]

/ ˈhɛmˌlɒk /

noun

a poisonous plant, Conium maculatum, of the parsley family, having purple-spotted stems, finely divided leaves, and umbels of small white flowers, used medicinally as a powerful sedative.

a poisonous drink made from this plant.

any of various other plants, especially of the genus Cicuta, as the water hemlock.

Also called hemlock spruce. any of several coniferous trees of the genus Tsuga, native to the U.S., characterized by a pyramidal manner of growth.Compare eastern hemlock, western hemlock.

the soft, light wood of a hemlock tree, used in making paper, in the construction of buildings, etc.

Nearby words

hemizygosity, hemizygote, hemizygotic, hemizygous, hemline, hemlock, hemlock looper, hemmer, hemo-, hemoblast, hemoblastosis

Origin of hemlock

before 900; Middle English hemlok, humlok, Old English hymlic, hemlic; perhaps akin to Old English hymele hop plant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hemlock

Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the interim, Herring took a short break from the band to dabble in his side-project—rapping under the moniker Hemlock Ernst.
Future Islands Frontman Samuel T. Herring on Their 11-Year Journey to Letterman and Viral Stardom|Marlow Stern|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He figures on starting in early March, likely in Hemlock Alley, off Polk Street, near a present needle exchange.
Clean Crack Pipes for All! San Francisco’s Final Social Justice Frontier|Michael Daly|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Hemlock Grove does not feel like a step in the right direction.
‘Hemlock Grove’: Netflix’s Latest Original Show Is Scary Bad|Jace Lacob|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Horror aficionados may lap this up, but for me, Hemlock Grove is about as appealing as curdled milk.
‘Hemlock Grove’: Netflix’s Latest Original Show Is Scary Bad|Jace Lacob|April 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And finally he drank the cup of hemlock—a lot which we ofttimes wish would fall to modern critics of his stamp.
Popular scientific lectures|Ernst Mach
They came to a halt under the wide-spreading branches of a hemlock tree.
The Rover Boys on the Farm|Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
Even after having heard him in Plato, one is tempted to forgive him the hemlock.
Letters to an Unknown|Prosper Mrime
Yew is an evergreen tree with a leaf looking a great deal like that of redwood, hemlock, or fir at a distance.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
Hemlock plaster is occasionally used as an application to painful and malignant ulcers and tumours, painful joints, &c.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for hemlock

hemlock

/ (ˈhɛmˌlɒk) /

noun

an umbelliferous poisonous Eurasian plant, Conium maculatum, having finely divided leaves, spotted stems, and small white flowersUS name: poison hemlock See also water hemlock

a poisonous drug derived from this plant

Also called: hemlock spruce any coniferous tree of the genus Tsuga, of North America and E Asia, having short flat needles: family PinaceaeSee also western hemlock

the wood of any of these trees, used for lumber and as a source of wood pulp

Word Origin for hemlock

Old English hymlic; perhaps related to hymele hop plant, Middle Low German homele, Old Norwegian humli, Old Slavonic chǔmelï

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hemlock

hemlock

a poisonous plant, Old English (Kentish) hemlic, earlier hymlice, hymblice; of unknown origin. Liberman suggests from root hem- "poison," perhaps with the plant name suffix -ling or -ig. As the name of the poison derived from the plant, c.1600. The North American tree so called from 1776, from resemblance of its leaves to those of the plant.