hyoscyamus

[hahy-uh-sahy-uh-muh s]

noun

the dried leaves, with or without the tops, of the henbane, Hyoscyamus niger, containing the alkaloids hyoscyamine and scopolamine, used in medicine.

Origin of hyoscyamus

1700–10; < New Latin < Greek hyoskýamos, equivalent to hyós (genitive of hŷs hog) + kýamos bean

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

Examples from the Web for hyoscyamus

Historical Examples of hyoscyamus

The oil of hyoscyamus is poisonous, and contains the alkaloid.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth
The English henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) abounds in waste places.
Western Himalaya and Tibet
Thomas Thomson
The extract of belladonna is considerably stronger than the extract of hyoscyamus.
Insomnia; and Other Disorders of Sleep
Henry M. Lyman
An alkaloid obtained from common henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), and also from the thorn apple (Datura stramonium).
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I
Arnold Cooley
Thus, hyoscyamus, belladonna, ammonium bromide have been used.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I
Various

British Dictionary definitions for hyoscyamus

hyoscyamus

noun

any plant of the solanaceous genus Hyoscyamus, of Europe, Asia, and N Africa, including henbane

Word Origin for hyoscyamus

C18: from New Latin, from Greek huoskuamos, from hus pig + kuamos bean; the plant was thought to be poisonous to pigs

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