mandrake
Syllabification: (man·drake)
Pronunciation: /ˈmanˌdrāk/
Translate mandrake | into Italian
Definition of mandrake
noun
- 1a Mediterranean plant of the nightshade family, with white or purple flowers and large yellow berries. It has a forked fleshy root that supposedly resembles the human form and was formerly widely used in medicine and magic, allegedly shrieking when pulled from the ground.
- Mandragora officinarum, family Solanaceae
Origin:
Middle English mandrag(g)e, from Middle Dutch mandrag(r)e, from medieval Latin mandragora; associated with man (because of the shape of its root) + drake in the Old English sense 'dragon'