belladonna

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

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Recent Examples of belladonna from the Web

Know your ash from alder, your atropa belladonna from solanum nigrum?

— OregonLive.com, "Can you pass this forest ranger exam from 1925?," 16 Jan. 2018
In that case, FDA investigators confirmed that the products contained variable and sometimes high levels of toxic belladonna, aka deadly nightshade, which can have harmful and unpredictable effects in infants.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "FDA plans crackdown on dangerous homeopathy; homeopaths say: bring it," 19 Dec. 2017
Some of those products were found to contain harmful ingredients, such as belladonna, which can be toxic.

— andrea park, SELF, "Serena Williams Asks Instagram and Twitter for Help in Dealing With Alexis Olympia's Teething," 18 Dec. 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.

— 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
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

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

BELLADONNA Defined for English Language Learners

belladonna

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

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