Definition of "wolfsbane" [wolfs•bane]

• See aconite. (noun)
• Any of several poisonous perennial herbs of the genus Aconitum, especially A. lycoctonum, native to northern Europe, having broad rounded leaves, elongate racemes, and light purple flowers. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The consequences can be fatal if the plant - also known as wolfsbane - is eaten and it can also cause heart complications, muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting."
• "Use of the herb, also known as wolfsbane or monkshood, has been known since Biblical times and has even featured in a"
• "The appreciative audience really fueled the energy -- the first row in particular howling with laughter, so much so that Jane the Housekeeper Anderson threw a sprig of "wolfsbane" to the woman who was laughing so hard in the first row."