Belladonna
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A plant, Atropa belladonna, having purple bell-shaped flowers and poisonous black glossy berries. countable, uncountable
"Witches always anointed themselves with ointments before departing up the chimney to their Sabbaths. One such ointment was composed of Aconite, Belladonna, Water Parsley, Cinquefoil and Babies' Fat."
- 2 an alkaloidal extract or tincture of the poisonous belladonna plant that is used medicinally wordnet
- 3 An alkaloid extracted from this plant, sometimes used medicinally, containing atropine. countable, uncountable
"The elderly women who practiced herbalism and administered belladonna (a pain killer) to pregnant women were apt to be accused of witchcraft. The Medieval church was against the administration of belladonna because they believed women were meant to suffer pain in childbirth as a result of Eve's sin."
- 4 perennial Eurasian herb with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black berries; extensively grown in United States; roots and leaves yield atropine wordnet
- 1 A female given name. uncommon
"Oliver summed up his observations by conceding that in the early nineteen twenties before he — or, for that matter, she herself was born — Belladonna Jones might have been devastating."
Example
More examples"Roman women would dilate their pupils with belladonna because they believed this made them more attractive. Eye doctors still use belladonna during eye exams."
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian belladonna (altered by folk etymology: bella donna (“beautiful lady”)) from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), of Gaulish origin. The folk etymology was motivated by the cosmetic use of nightshade for dilating the eyes.
See belladonna.
Related phrases
More for "belladonna"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.