Henbane

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhɛnbeɪn/

Definitions

1. A toxic plant belonging to the nightshade family, often utilized in traditional practices and folklore for its medicinal and hallucinogenic properties
2. This herb, recognized for its dangerous alkaloids, has historical significance in various cultures for its uses in medicine and mythology
3. A poisonous herb from the nightshade family, it is characterized by its historical usage in various cultures for both medicinal and psychoactive applications

Etymology: Henbane is a compound of two plain English words, "hen" and "bane," and the second part is the more interesting one. "Bane" comes from Old English "bana," meaning slayer or killer, and it survived into modern English mainly in set phrases such as "the bane of my life." So the plant's name literally says it is a killer of hens, though the old accounts behind it are less clear-cut than the name suggests. The compound is old and shared across the north. Danish has "hønsebane" and Swedish has "hönsbane," built on the same pattern, and Old English already had "hennebelle," meaning "hen-bell," for the same plant. The English word arrived in Middle English as "henbane" or "hennebane," with a French form "hanebane" lying behind it, which shows how much the name moved between languages before settling.