snakeroot

[ sneyk-root, -roo t ]

/ ˈsneɪkˌrut, -ˌrʊt /

noun

any of various plants whose roots have been regarded as a remedy for snakebites, as the herb Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot), having a medicinal rhizome and rootlets, and the white-flowered Polygala senega (Seneca snakeroot), having a medicinal root.

the root or rhizome of such a plant.

the North American bugbane.

a white eupatorium, Eupatorium rugosum.

a plant, Rauwolfia serpentina (or Rauvolfia serpentina), whose roots are the source of reserpine and other drugs.

Nearby words

Origin of snakeroot

First recorded in 1625–35; snake + root¹

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

Examples from the Web for snakeroot

She needed no snakeroot and saffron, nor indeed any other form of herb tea.
Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders|William A. Alcott
Old lady Field she make medicine with snakeroot and larkspur and marshroot and redroot.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration
"Snakeroot and cinnamon," chimed in Rachel, looking up from her sewing with a very innocent face.
Little Grandmother|Sophie May
Dixon also reported that the natives have a keen sense of smell, which they quicken by the use of snakeroot.
Alaska|Ella Higginson

The flowers are produced from near the base of the plant, similar to its near relative, the Canada snakeroot.
Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

British Dictionary definitions for snakeroot

snakeroot

/ (ˈsneɪkˌruːt) /

noun

any of various North American plants, such as Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot) and Eupatorium urticaefolium (white snakeroot), the roots or rhizomes of which have been used as a remedy for snakebite

the rhizome or root of any such plant

another name for bistort (def. 1), bistort (def. 2)

Also called: snakeweed

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