■ noun a Mediterranean plant of the nightshade family, having a forked fleshy root which supposedly resembles the human form and was formerly alleged to shriek when pulled from the ground, widely used in medicine and magic. [ Mandragora officinarum .]
Origin
ME mandrag(g)e , from MDu. mandrag(r)e , from med. L. mandragora ; assoc. with man (because of the shape of its root) + drake in the OE sense 'dragon'.