Definition of "digitalis" [dig•i•ta•lis]

• A plant of the genus Digitalis, which includes the foxgloves. (noun)
• A drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of this plant, used in medicine as a cardiac stimulant. (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.

• "Substances known to inhibit sodium/potassium transport are certain digitalis alkaloids, e.g. oubain, and Skou showed that oubain interferes in the enzyme's activation by sodium."
• "The word digitalis refers likewise to the digits, or fingers of a gauntlet."
• "An all natural extract of the foxglove plant similar to an all natural extract of the stevia plant is digitalis, which is lethal if consumed in all but the most minute amounts."