nightshade

[nahyt-sheyd]

noun

any of various plants of the genus Solanum, especially the black nightshade or the bittersweet.
any of various other related plants, as the deadly nightshade.

Origin of nightshade

before 1000; Middle English; Old English nihtscada. See night, shade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nightshade

Historical Examples of nightshade

Alas for the mingling of the nightshade with the marriage garlands!
The Wedding Ring
T. De Witt Talmage
We do not call the nightshade a weed in our hedges, nor the scarlet agaric in our woods.
Proserpina, Volume 1
John Ruskin
Forth they come exulting,—the nightshade and the lily, the thistle and the rose.
The Love Story of Abner Stone
Edwin Carlile Litsey
Circa alpina (enchanter's nightshade), very common in woods.
The Maine Woods
Henry David Thoreau
This is the Latin name of the Nightshade, meaning "quieting."
Field Book of Western Wild Flowers
Margaret Armstrong

British Dictionary definitions for nightshade

nightshade

noun

any of various solanaceous plants, such as deadly nightshade, woody nightshade, and black nightshade
See enchanter's nightshade

Word Origin for nightshade

Old English nihtscada, apparently night + shade, referring to the poisonous or soporific qualities of these plants

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

Word Origin and History for nightshade

Old English nihtscada, literally "shade of night," perhaps in allusion to the poisonous berries. A common Germanic compound, cf. Dutch nachtschade, German Nachtschatten.