HELLEBORE


Meaning of HELLEBORE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈhe-lə-ˌbȯr ]

noun

Etymology: Middle English elebre, from Anglo-French, from Latin elleborus, helleborus, from Greek helleboros

Date: 15th century

1. : any of a genus ( Helleborus ) of poisonous Eurasian herbs of the buttercup family having showy flowers with petaloid sepals ; also : the dried rhizome of a hellebore (as H. niger ) formerly used in medicine

2. : a poisonous herb (genus Veratrum ) of the lily family ; also : the dried rhizome of a hellebore ( V. album or V. viride ) that is used as an insecticide and contains toxic alkaloids that are cardiac and respiratory depressants

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.