wolfsbane

American

[woolfs-beyn] / ˈwʊlfsˌbeɪn /

noun

any of several plants in the aconite genus Aconitum, including A. lycoctonum, bearing stalks of hood-shaped purplish-blue flowers, the monkshood A. napellus, which yields a poisonous alkaloid used medicinally, and numerous garden varieties in various colors.

wolfsbane British

/ ˈwʊlfsˌbeɪn /

noun

any of several poisonous N temperate plants of the ranunculaceous genus Aconitum, esp A. lycoctonum, which has yellow hoodlike flowers

"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

Etymology

Origin of wolfsbane

1540–50; wolf + 's 1 + bane

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.

Monkshood is also known as wolfsbane, which Harry Potter fans might recognize as a potion brewed to calm werewolves.

From Seattle Times

Aconite, also known as monkshood, helmet flower or wolfsbane, is used in Asian herbal medicines.

From The Guardian

Ever since a cave man reached too quickly for a spear, hamstring strains have been the wolfsbane of warriors — weekend and otherwise.

From Los Angeles Times

“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?”

From Literature

In ramrodding an outfit to market, or seeing a plan to completion, all must stand clear of brackish water, wolfsbane and loco weed.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023