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mandrakemore about mandrake

mandrake

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  May  \May\,  n.  [F.  Mai,  L.  Maius;  so  named  in  honor  of  the 
  goddess  Maia  (Gr.  ?),  daughter  of  Atlas  and  mother  of  Mercury 
  by  Jupiter.] 
  1.  The  fifth  month  of  the  year,  containing  thirty-one  days. 
  --Chaucer. 
 
  2.  The  early  part  or  springtime  of  life. 
 
  His  May  of  youth,  and  bloom  of  lustihood.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  (Bot.)  The  flowers  of  the  hawthorn;  --  so  called  from 
  their  time  of  blossoming;  also  the  hawthorn. 
 
  The  palm  and  may  make  country  houses  gay.  --Nash. 
 
  Plumes  that  micked  the  may  --Tennyson. 
 
  4.  The  merrymaking  of  May  Day  --Tennyson. 
 
  {Italian  may}  (Bot.),  a  shrubby  species  of  {Spir[ae]a}  ({S. 
  hypericifolia})  with  many  clusters  of  small  white  flowers 
  along  the  slender  branches. 
 
  {May  apple}  (Bot.),  the  fruit  of  an  American  plant 
  ({Podophyllum  peltatum}).  Also  the  plant  itself 
  (popularly  called  {mandrake}),  which  has  two  lobed  leaves, 
  and  bears  a  single  egg-shaped  fruit  at  the  forking.  The 
  root  and  leaves,  used  in  medicine,  are  powerfully  drastic. 
 
 
  {May  beetle},  {May  bug}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  one  of  numerous 
  species  of  large  lamellicorn  beetles  that  appear  in  the 
  winged  state  in  May  They  belong  to  {Melolontha},  and 
  allied  genera.  Called  also  {June  beetle}. 
 
  {May  Day},  the  first  day  of  May  --  celebrated  in  the  rustic 
  parts  of  England  by  the  crowning  of  a  May  queen  with  a 
  garland,  and  by  dancing  about  a  May  pole. 
 
  {May  dew},  the  morning  dew  of  the  first  day  of  May  to  which 
  magical  properties  were  attributed. 
 
  {May  flower}  (Bot.),  a  plant  that  flowers  in  May  also  its 
  blossom.  See  {Mayflower},  in  the  vocabulary. 
 
  {May  fly}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  species  of  {Ephemera},  and  allied 
  genera;  --  so  called  because  the  mature  flies  of  many 
  species  appear  in  May  See  {Ephemeral  fly},  under 
  {Ephemeral}. 
 
  {May  game},  any  May-day  sport. 
 
  {May  lady},  the  queen  or  lady  of  May  in  old  May  games. 
 
  {May  lily}  (Bot.),  the  lily  of  the  valley  ({Convallaria 
  majalis}). 
 
  {May  pole}.  See  {Maypole}  in  the  Vocabulary. 
 
  {May  queen},  a  girl  or  young  woman  crowned  queen  in  the 
  sports  of  May  Day 
 
  {May  thorn},  the  hawthorn. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Mandrake  \Man"drake\,  n.  [AS.  mandragora,  L.  mandragoras,  fr 
  Gr  ?:  cf  F.  mandragore.] 
  1.  (Bot.)  A  low  plant  ({Mandragora  officinarum})  of  the 
  Nightshade  family,  having  a  fleshy  root,  often  forked,  and 
  supposed  to  resemble  a  man.  It  was  therefore  supposed  to 
  have  animal  life,  and  to  cry  out  when  pulled  up  All  parts 
  of  the  plant  are  strongly  narcotic.  It  is  found  in  the 
  Mediterranean  region. 
 
  And  shrieks  like  mandrakes,  torn  out  of  the  earth, 
  That  living  mortals,  hearing  them  run  mad.  --Shak. 
 
  Note:  The  mandrake  of  Scripture  was  perhaps  the  same  plant, 
  but  proof  is  wanting. 
 
  2.  (Bot.)  The  May  apple  ({Podophyllum  peltatum}).  See  {May 
  apple}  under  {May},  and  {Podophyllum}.  [U.S.] 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  mandrake 
  n  1:  the  root  of  the  mandrake  plant;  used  medicinally  or  as  a 
  narcotic  [syn:  {mandrake  root}] 
  2:  a  plant  of  southern  Europe  and  North  Africa  having  purple 
  flowers,  yellow  fruits  and  a  forked  root  formerly  thought 
  to  have  magical  powers  [syn:  {devil's  apples},  {Mandragora 
  officinarum}]




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