: any of a genus (Apocynum of the family Apocynaceae, the dogbane family) of often poisonous plants chiefly of temperate-zone regions with milky juice and fibrous bark
Examples of dogbane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From bottom left to top right is a tinder bundle, made from the inner bark of a cottonwood tree and some red cedar bark, a stone thunderhead, a honeysuckle bow with a cord made from dogbane fibers, a goldenrod spindle and a white pine hearth board.
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Bradley Duncan, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
Before European settlers arrived in the Americas, for instance, some Native American nations used stoneseed, dogbane and other herbs to prevent pregnancy, in addition to taking abortifacients (substances that induce abortions).
—Treva B. Lindsey, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 May 2022
An understory of spreading dogbane, yellow columbine, Richardson’s geranium, curly dock, wild roses and fragrant wild geranium grow profusely in damp slivers of space among roots, boulders and gigantic trees.
—Mare Czinar, azcentral, 18 July 2019
Bradley Duncan, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
Before European settlers arrived in the Americas, for instance, some Native American nations used stoneseed, dogbane and other herbs to prevent pregnancy, in addition to taking abortifacients (substances that induce abortions).
—Treva B. Lindsey, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 May 2022
An understory of spreading dogbane, yellow columbine, Richardson’s geranium, curly dock, wild roses and fragrant wild geranium grow profusely in damp slivers of space among roots, boulders and gigantic trees.
—Mare Czinar, azcentral, 18 July 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dogbane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Dogbane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogbane. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
dogbane
noun
dog·bane
ˈdȯg-ˌbān 
: any plant of the genus Apocynum
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