digitalis

[ dij-i-tal-is, -tey-lis ]

noun

1. any plant belonging to the genus Digitalis, of the figwort family, especially the common foxglove, D. purpurea.
2. the dried leaves of the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, used in medicine as a heart stimulant.

digitalis

/ ˌdɪdʒɪˈteɪlɪs /

noun

1. any Eurasian scrophulariaceous plant of the genus Digitalis, such as the foxglove, having bell-shaped flowers and a basal rosette of leaves
2. 1. a drug prepared from the dried leaves or seeds of the foxglove: a mixture of glycosides used medicinally to treat heart failure and some abnormal heart rhythms
   2. any cardiac glycoside, whatever its origin

digitalis

/ dĭj′ĭ-tăl′ĭs /

1. A drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of the purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, and prescribed as a cardiac stimulant in the treatment of congestive heart failure and other disorders of the heart.

Word History and Origins

Origin of digitalis¹

1655–65; < New Latin digitālis, a name apparently suggested by the German name for the foxglove, Fingerhut literally, thimble; digital

Word History and Origins

Origin of digitalis¹

C17: from New Latin, from Latin: relating to a finger (referring to the corollas of the flower); based on German Fingerhut foxglove, literally: finger-hat or thimble

Example Sentences

Foxglove - digitalis - is a source of digitoxin, a glycoside in the drug digitalis, which has been used as a heart stimulant since 1785.

From BBC

I felt reduced into an almost hypnotic state — a paralysis digitalis.

From Salon

He kept himself going on a diet of opium, digitalis, belladonna and brandy.

From Washington Post

A walled garden flush with dahlias and digitalis is on one side of the house, with a topiary garden on the other.

From New York Times

In late spring there are parrot tulips everywhere, and the belled stalks of purple digitalis burst through blossoms of yellow euphorbia.

From New York Times