Hemlock

Origin

From Middle English hemlok, hemeluc, from Old English hymlīc, hymlīce ("hemlock, bryony, convulvus"), literally 'hops-like', from hymele ("hop-vine"), from Proto-Germanic *humalaz, *humalōn, of unknown origin. Perhaps from Scythian *haumala, a diminutive of *hauma ("ephedra; juice"), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma from Proto-Indo-European *seue- ("to suck; juice").

Full definition of hemlock

Noun

1. Any of several coniferous trees, of the genus Tsuga, that grow in North America; the wood of such trees.
2. A poisonous umbelliferous plants, of the genera Conium, either Conium maculatum or .
3. The water hemlock plant, genus Cicuta.
4. The poison obtained from these plants.

Synonyms

• (Conium) beaver poison, devil's porridge, Herb Bennet, musquash root, poison hemlock, poison parsley, spotted corobane, spotted hemlock Conium maculatum; ;

Derived terms

• eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
• Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana)
• Taiwan hemlock ()
• northern Japanese hemlock ()
• Himalayan hemlock ()
• Forrest's Hemlock ()
• western hemlock ()
• southern Japanese hemlock ()
• mountain hemlock ()
• poison hemlock