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cowbane

[ kou-beyn ]

noun

  1. any of several poisonous plants of the parsley family, as Oxypolis rigidior, of swampy areas of North America, or the water hemlock, Cicuta maculata.


cowbane

/ ˈkaʊˌbeɪn /

noun

  1. Also calledwater hemlock any of several N temperate poisonous umbelliferous marsh plants of the genus Cicuta, esp C. virosa, having clusters of small white flowers
  2. a similar and related plant, Oxypolis rigidior of the southeastern and central US
  3. any umbelliferous plant reputed to be poisonous to cattle
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of cowbane1

First recorded in 1770–80; cow 1 + bane
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Example Sentences

Poison hemlock, spotted cowbane and Jamestown weed are very poisonous.

Cicuta, si-kū′ta, n. a genus of umbelliferous plants with poisonous roots—water-hemlock or cowbane.

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