Hypertext Webster Gateway: "belladonna"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Belladonna \Bel`la*don"na\, n. [It., literally fine lady; bella
beautiful + donna lady.] (Bot.)
(a) An herbaceous European plant ({Atropa belladonna}) with
reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black berries.
The whole plant and its fruit are very poisonous, and the
root and leaves are used as powerful medicinal agents.
Its properties are largely due to the alkaloid atropine
which it contains. Called also {deadly nightshade}.
(b) A species of {Amaryllis} ({A. belladonna}); the
belladonna lily.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
belladonna
n 1: perennial Eurasian herb with reddish bell-shaped flowers and
shining black berries; extensively grown in United
States; roots and leaves yield atropine [syn: {deadly
nightshade}, {Atropa belladonna}]
2: an alkaloidal extract or tincture of the poisonous
belladonna herb that is used medicinally
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