deadly nightshadenoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˌded.li ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/us/ˌded.li ˈnaɪt.ʃeɪd/also belladonnaa very poisonous plant with small, black, shiny fruits, that grows in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Common plants
- African violet
- aloe
- aloe vera
- anise
- aspidistra
- cow parsley
- crabgrass
- fenugreek
- fern
- four-leaf clover
- pot plant
- prickly pear
- Queen Anne's lace
- rubber plant
- runner bean
- tuft
- turves
- Venus flytrap
- wheat
- yucca
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Examples from literature
- Did you wish to remove a troublesome rival or an elder brother, you treated him to a dose of deadly nightshade.
- Her eyes were purple-black, like the berries of the deadly nightshade seen in the twilight.
- It was the deadly nightshade, and a handful of the berries spelt death.
- The air on the lower ground is charged with the poisonous gases which exude from the marsh, while in the woods it is heavy with the dank odours of deadly nightshade and poison ivy.
- To the nightshade family belong plants that are poisonous and plants that are not, but the thrilling name, deadly nightshade, carries with it the certainty of poison.