mandrake

[ man-dreyk, -drik ]

/ ˈmæn dreɪk, -drɪk /

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noun

a narcotic, short-stemmed European plant, Mandragora officinarum, of the nightshade family, having a fleshy, often forked root somewhat resembling a human form.

the May apple.

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Origin of mandrake

1275–1325; Middle English, variant of mandrage (short for mandragora), taken by folk etymology as man + drake²

Words nearby mandrake

Man does not live by bread alone, mandola, mandolin, mandorla, mandragora, mandrake, mandrel, mandrill, manducate, mandyas, mane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mandrake in a sentence

“As things stand, Catherine and her family do not feel confident about her going to Norfolk,” one of her friends tells Mandrake.
Kate Middleton To Miss Royal Christmas As She Battles Sickness|Tom Sykes|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The tree, the spring, and the mandrake caused the inhabitants of Domremy to be suspected of holding converse with evil spirits.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
The good Brother likewise caused to be burnt the mandrake roots which many folk kept in their houses.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
Witches made much of them; and those who believed that the Maid was a witch accused her of carrying a mandrake on her person.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France

This was doubtless known to Shakespeare, as in the passage cited he compares the mandrake with the poppy.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, June 1899|Various
The mandrake Atropa officinalis belongs to the Solanaceæ, and, like others of the family, has narcotic properties.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, June 1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mandrake

mandrake

mandragora (mænˈdræɡərə)

/ (ˈmændreɪk) /

noun

a Eurasian solanaceous plant, Mandragora officinarum, with purplish flowers and a forked root. It was formerly thought to have magic powers and a narcotic was prepared from its root

another name for the May apple

Word Origin for mandrake

C14: probably via Middle Dutch from Latin mandragoras (whence Old English mandragora), from Greek. The form mandrake was probably adopted through folk etymology, because of the allegedly human appearance of the root and because drake (dragon) suggested magical powers

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