mandrake
Americannoun
-
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.
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
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
Scientists are now experimenting with an ancient remedy well known to patent-medicine makers: the mandrake, or Mayapple root.
From Time Magazine Archive
Podophyllum resin, or podophyllin, is the resin of the dried root of the mandrake or May apple; Carter combined this with the dried juice of aloes.
From Time Magazine Archive
I cut the mandrake root to pieces and put them in a flask of sweet wine to steep.
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.
