deadly nightshade
1
9.7
- noun
- /ˈdɛdli ˈnaɪtʃeɪd/
:
belladona
- Which berries were sweet and which were deadly nightshade, which herbs cured and which herbs killed.
Examples
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Only the deadly nightshade thrives in darkness.
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And yet it is belladonna, the most deadly nightshade.
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Have you ever seen the deadly nightshade, my dear?
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I could sell deadly nightshade.
Fiction book (1997) -
The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally...
Fiction book (1993) -
I can't be dealing with bushes, nettles, and deadly nightshade.
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The berries of the deadly nightshade are highly toxic and should never be eaten.
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In the garden, you should avoid planting deadly nightshade due to its poisonous nature.
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The scientist explained how deadly nightshade can be dangerous if ingested.
Synonyms
4
9.9
A poisonous plant called deadly nightshade with black berries used to make medicine
1
9.9
A poisonous plant with bell-shaped flowers and shiny black berries used to make atropine
A poisonous plant with bell-shaped flowers and shiny black berries used to make the medicine atropine
How Toxic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'deadly' (able to kill) modifies 'nightshade' (a type of plant, some species of which are poisonous), so a learner knowing both constituents will infer it denotes a poisonous plant. Although it can refer specifically to Atropa belladonna, that specificity does not prevent transparent derivation from the parts. Adjective+noun compounds of this kind are common cross-linguistically, supporting immediate comprehensibility.
Etymology
Deadly nightshade gives a strong picture: deadly says it can kill, and nightshade comes from its dark, shiny berries and the way the plant could make people sleepy, like the 'shade' of night. That's why the name means 'a very poisonous plant'.