/snayk"rooht', -root'/ , n.
1. any of various plants whose roots have been regarded as a remedy for snakebites, as the herb Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snakeroot) , having a medicinal rhizome and rootlets, and the white-flowered Polygala senega (Seneca snakeroot) , having a medicinal root.
2. the root or rhizome of such a plant.
3. the North American bugbane.
4. a white eupatorium, Eupatorium rugosum.
5. a plant, Rauwolfia serpentina (or Rauvolfia serpentina ), whose roots are the source of reserpine and other drugs.
[ 1625-35; SNAKE + ROOT 1 ]