/a"treuh peen', -pin/ , n. Pharm.
a poisonous crystalline alkaloid, C 17 H 23 NO 3 , obtained from belladonna and other plants of the nightshade family, that prevents the response of various body structures to certain types of nerve stimulation: used chiefly to relieve spasms, to lessen secretions, and, topically, to dilate the pupil of the eye.
[ 1830-40; Atrop ( a ) belladonna genus ( átropos; see ATROPOS) + -INE 2 ]