belladonna

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”). The folk etymology was motivated by the cosmetic use of nightshade for dilating the eyes.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌbɛləˈdɑnə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌbɛləˈdɒnə/
• Rhymes: -ɒnə

belladonna (countable and uncountable, plural belladonnas)

1. A plant, Atropa belladonna, having purple bell-shaped flowers and poisonous black glossy berries.
2. An alkaloid extracted from this plant, sometimes used medicinally, containing atropine.
   • 2005 June 13, Edmund White, “My Women: Learning how to love them.”, in The New Yorker:

     Cathy teetered downstairs on very high heels, her hair swept up in a disintegrating “brioche”, her eyes glistening with belladonna drops.

Wikispecies

• (Atropa belladonna): deadly nightshade

• belladonna lily
• belladonnized, belladonized
• Belladonna mottle virus

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɛ.laːˈdɔ.naː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bel‧la‧don‧na

belladonna f or m (plural belladonna's, diminutive belladonnaatje n)

1. belladonna, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)

• wolfskers

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

• Hyphenation: bel‧la‧don‧na

belladonna

1. belladonna, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)

• myrkkykoiso
• lemmonmarja

Interpreted by folk etymology as bella (“beautiful”) +‎ donna (“lady”), from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɛl.laˈdɔn.na/
• Hyphenation: bel‧la‧dòn‧na

belladonna f (plural belledonne)

1. deadly nightshade, belladonna (Atropa belladonna)

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /bel.laˈdon.na/, [bɛl.laˈdɔn.na]

belladonna f (genitive belladonnae); first declension

1. (New Latin) belladonna (Atropa belladonna)

First-declension noun.

• solānum