MANDRAKE

noun Etymology: Middle English, probably alteration of mandragora Date: 14th century 1. a Mediterranean herb ( Mandragora officinarum ) of the nightshade family with large ovate leaves, greenish-yellow or purple flowers, and a large usually forked root resembling a human in form and formerly credited with magical properties, the root of a ~ formerly used especially to promote conception, as a cathartic, or as a narcotic and soporific, mayapple