nightshade

English

/ˈnaɪtʃeɪd/

noun
Definitions
  • Any of the poisonous plants belonging to the genus Solanum, especially black nightshade or woody nightshade.
  • (colloquial) Any plant of the wider Solanaceae family, including the nightshades as well as tomato, potato, eggplant, and deadly nightshade.
  • Belladonna or deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna.
  • Any of several plants likened to nightshade, usually because of similar dark-colored berries.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English nyȝtschade inherited from Old English nihtsċada compound from English night (noun sense, the conventional time for a person to be in bed, verb sense) + English shade.

Origin

English

shade

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms