English
henbane
Henbane comes from Middle English henbane.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500henbane
- Englishearliest quotation 1936same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500henbane
- Englishearliest quotation 1936same form
Earliest quotation: 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art: “Deadly nightshade, henbane, hellebore and mandrakes were of evil…”
Proto-Indo-European *kan-
Proto-Germanic *hanjō
Proto-West Germanic *hannju
Old English henn
Middle English hen ‘hen, chicken’
English hen
Proto-Germanic *banô ‘killer, murderer, slayer’
Proto-West Germanic *banō
Old English bana ‘person or thing that causes death, murderer’
Middle English bane ‘person or thing that destroys life, murderer,…’
English bane
Every English word from Middle English henbane
Today it means
noun Any member of the species Hyoscyamus niger of poisonous plants, used sometimes as a drug that causes at least hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English henbane / henbane