gelsemium

[ jel-see-mee-uhm ]

noun

, plural gel·se·mi·ums, gel·se·mi·a [jel-, see, -mee-, uh].

1. the dried rhizome and root of yellow jasmine, formerly used as a sedative in the form of a powder, tincture, or fluid extract.

gelsemium

/ dʒɛlˈsiːmɪəm /

noun

1. any climbing shrub of the loganiaceous genus Gelsemium, of SE Asia and North America, esp the yellow jasmine, having fragrant yellow flowers
2. the powdered root of the yellow jasmine, formerly used as a sedative

Word History and Origins

Origin of gelsemium¹

1870–75; < New Latin < Italian gelsom ( ino ) jasmine + Latin -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of gelsemium¹

C19: New Latin, from Italian gelsomino jasmine

Example Sentences

A pre-inquest hearing heard that traces of a rare and deadly poison from the gelsemium plant was found in his stomach.

From Reuters

Substances that have been identified or suspected in poisonings blamed on the Russian government include radioactive polonium-210; heavy metals; gelsemium, a rare Himalayan plant toxin; and Novichuk, a military nerve agent lethal to the touch.

From New York Times

A pre-inquest hearing heard that traces of a rare and deadly poison from the gelsemium plant had been found in his stomach.

From Reuters

The KGB tried to kill writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn with ricin; more recently, its successor agency, the FSB, and the military GRU have been caught using dioxin, gelsemium, cadmium, polonium and the nerve agents sarin and Novichok.

From Washington Post

Experts at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew had identified an "unknown compound" in his system with the same atomic mass as gelsemium elegans, a plant toxin known as "heartbreak grass".

From BBC