mandrake
Americannoun
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a narcotic, short-stemmed European plant, Mandragora officinarum, of the nightshade family, having a fleshy, often forked root somewhat resembling a human form.
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the May apple.
noun
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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
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another name for the May apple
Etymology
Origin of mandrake
1275–1325; Middle English, variant of mandrage (short for mandragora ), taken by folk etymology as man + drake 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I often think of #HarryPotter when I stumble across images in #BHLib like these: Snowy Owl, spiders, bezoar, and mandrake!
From Slate • Nov. 20, 2017
Women who can’t get pregnant eat mandrake roots, like in Harry Potter.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2016
Their cabinets were stuffed with baroque pearls, narwhal tusks, mandrake roots and fossils.
From Time Magazine Archive
For centuries, men have regarded the mandrake with awe.
From Time Magazine Archive
“I told her that desperation led you to seek death. I do not think she believes me. She knows that you stole the mandrake, but she bears you no ill will,” Horatio whispered.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
