Cowbanes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Refers to poisonous plants known for their toxic effects on cattle and other livestock; also denotes various species of hemlock or related plants harmful when ingested; used to describe certain herbs used historically to control or repel animals
2. Describes a group of noxious plants that cause poisoning in grazing animals; encompasses hemlock varieties and other deadly herbaceous plants; sometimes applied to plants traditionally believed to ward off domestic animals
3. Identifies certain toxic flora that are dangerous to cows and farm animals; includes species commonly called hemlock and similar poisonous herbs; also used as a term for plants employed to deter or affect livestock adversely

Etymology: "Cowbanes" is the plural of "cowbane", a plant name formed from two plain English elements: "cow" and "bane". "Bane" is an old word for something that destroys or kills, descending from Old English "bana", meaning murderer or killer, and it survives in compounds like "ratsbane" and "wolfsbane". Cowbane, then, is a plant poisonous to cattle, and the plural simply refers to more than one such plant.

Synonyms: hemlocks, water hemlocks, cicuta, poison hemlock, conium