belladonna

play

noun bel·la·don·na \ ˌbe-lə-ˈdä-nə \

Definition of belladonna

1 :an Old World poisonous plant (Atropa belladonna) of the nightshade family having purple or green bell-shaped flowers, glossy black berries, and root and leaves that yield atropine — called also deadly nightshade

2 :a medicinal extract (such as atropine) from the belladonna plant

See belladonna defined for English-language learners

See belladonna defined for kids

Recent Examples of belladonna from the Web

That was after the FDA found varying amounts of belladonna in the products.

— ars technica, SELF, "FDA Slams More Homeopathic Companies for Playing Fast and Loose With Toxic Chemicals," 22 Aug. 2017
That was after the FDA found varying amounts of belladonna in the products.

— ars technica, SELF, "FDA Slams More Homeopathic Companies for Playing Fast and Loose With Toxic Chemicals," 22 Aug. 2017
That was after the FDA found varying amounts of belladonna in the products.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "FDA slams more homeopaths for playing fast and loose with toxic chemicals," 17 Aug. 2017
Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) takes after plants like belladonna, a notoriously toxic relation.

— dave taft, New York Times, "Bittersweet Nightshade: Look, but Don’t Taste," 27 July 2017
There's the Deadly Nightshade (atropa belladonna) with berries that can easily kill.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Take a Tour of the Poison Garden, Where Plants Can Kill," 30 May 2017
The nightshades have an ominous reputation, but this large plant family is more than just its most poisonous members, like belladonna.

— nicholas st. fleur, New York Times, "Tomatillo Fossils, 52 Million Years Old, Are Discovered in Patagonia," 9 Jan. 2017
BELLADONNA OF SADNESS Made in 1973 but apparently never released in the United States, Eiichi Yamamoto’s animated Japanese fantasy drama tells the story of an innocent young woman who makes a deal with the Devil.

— anita gates, New York Times, "Summer Movie Release Schedule 2016," 29 Apr. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belladonna.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of belladonna

Italian, literally, beautiful lady

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1597

See Words from the same year

BELLADONNA Defined for English Language Learners

belladonna

play

noun

Definition of belladonna for English Language Learners

: a poisonous plant that has reddish bell-shaped flowers
: a drug made from the belladonna plant

Medical Dictionary

belladonna

play

noun bel·la·don·na \ ˌbel-ə-ˈdän-ə \

medical Definition of belladonna

1 :an Old World poisonous plant of the genus Atropa (A. belladonna) having purple or green flowers, glossy black berries, and a root and leaves that yield atropine — called also deadly nightshade

2 :a medicinal preparation (as atropine) extracted from the belladonna plant and containing anticholinergic alkaloids