stramonium

noun

stra·​mo·​ni·​um strə-ˈmō-nē-əm How to pronounce stramonium (audio)
1
: the dried leaves of the jimsonweed or of a related plant (genus Datura) that contain toxic alkaloids (such as atropine) used in medicine
2

Examples of stramonium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The plant Circe used could have been Datura stramonium, or jimson weed. Matt Kaplan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2015 While that sounds innocent enough, Datura stramonium, as it is known in the scientific world, belongs to the deadly nightshade family and contains high levels of anti-cholinergic alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine and atropine. Matt Kaplan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2015 This looks like jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), also called thorn apple because of its spiky fruit. oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019 According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Jimson weed, also called Datura stramonium, blooms in the late summer and is toxic. Fox News, 10 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stramonium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stramonium was in 1663

Dictionary Entries Near stramonium

Cite this Entry

“Stramonium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stramonium. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

stramonium

noun
stra·​mo·​ni·​um strə-ˈmō-nē-əm How to pronounce stramonium (audio)
1
: the dried leaves of the jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) or of a related plant of the genus Datura containing the anticholinergic and antispasmodic alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine and used especially formerly in the treatment of asthma and parkinsonism
2

More from Merriam-Webster on stramonium

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!