hemlock

American  

[hem-lok] / ˈhɛmˌlɒk /

noun

hemlocks plural

1. 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.

2. a poisonous drink made from this plant.

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

4. 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.

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

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hemlock British  

/ ˈhɛmˌlɒk /

noun

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

2. a poisonous drug derived from this plant

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

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hemlocks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hemlock

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

Explanation

Hemlock is a famously poisonous plant that resembles a flowering fern. No matter how hungry you are when you're lost in the woods, you should never eat hemlock. There are actually several toxic varieties of hemlock (as well as the harmless North American hemlock tree), but the most infamous is known by the genus name Conium. This hemlock causes death by slowly paralyzing the body, eventually including the respiratory system, while the poisoned person's mind remains alert. The Greek philosopher Socrates was found guilty of heresy in 399 BCE and sentenced to drink hemlock-based poison.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hemlock hemlocks

Not far away, I had tangled a dozen feet of line in the boughs of a hemlock tree—for the third time that morning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

“I wanted our house to feel really warm and bring nature inside,” says Lindsay, referring to the Western hemlock tongue and groove planks that she and Daniel installed on the walls and ceilings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025

Although poison hemlock arrived in the Pacific Northwest more than 100 years ago, it was not until 2019 that King County began to track it.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2024

While the pest prefers leafy hardwoods, like oaks, Salp said she’s seen them feed on conifers — the category that includes iconic Northwest species like the Douglas fir and western hemlock.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

And just then he saw the old fox stagger out from beneath the hemlock bough, making his way back to the river.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

The gaps around the hemlocks ranged in size from .05 to .15 acre.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2023

There you’ll find those old-growth Doug firs, Western hemlocks and Western red cedars — hopefully boughs laden with snow — that Paul Bunyan and his ilk left standing.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2023

No matter that I’m allergic to almost everything: resiny hemlocks, sweet clover, vanilla-scented bedstraw and almondy meadowsweet.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 5, 2022

The family has no yard—the hemlocks grow right to the door.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 10, 2022

It snaked around the Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer