Main Entry:

da·tu·ra

Pronunciation:

\də-ˈt(y)u̇r-ə\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

ultimately from Hindi dhatūrā jimsonweed (or a cognate descendant of Sanskrit dhattūraḥ)

Date:

1598

: any of a genus (Datura) of widely distributed strong-scented herbs, shrubs, or trees of the nightshade family including some used as sources of medicinal alkaloids (as stramonium) or in folk rites or illicitly for their poisonous, narcotic, or hallucinogenic properties — compare jimsonweed