Advertisement
English Lexicon

Wolfsbane

/ˈwʊlfs.beɪn/
nounCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #45000 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    Any of various poisonous plants of the genus Aconitum, having showy, usually hooded blue or purple flowers; aconite.

    "The botanist warned that every part of the wolfsbane growing by the path is highly toxic."
  2. 2

    In folklore and fiction, a mythical herb used to ward off or kill werewolves.

    "In the fantasy novel, the villagers hung bundles of wolfsbane above their doors during the full moon."
Advertisement

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Old English 'wulfsbān', composed of 'wulf' (wolf) and 'bān' (bane, meaning murderer or poison), reflecting the historical use of the plant's juice to poison wolves. Dating back to before 900 AD, the term originally referred specifically to plants of the genus Aconitum known for their extreme toxicity.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Wolfsbane"?

Advertisement
Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Wolfsbane"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Wolfsbane" Synonym Map
Advertisement