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''henbane'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260628200200-00-⌔

henbane - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Noun

henbane (countable and uncountable, plural henbanes)

  • A poisonous plant, Hyoscyamus niger, used sometimes as a drug that causes at least hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin.
    • ✤ Synonyms: black henbane, hog’s bane, hog’s bean, stinking nightshade
    • ✤ Deadly nightshade, henbane, hellebore and mandrakes were of evil reputation[.]1
    • ✤ * Henbane acts as an anaphrodisiac.*2
    • ✤ After studying the book for several minutes, he began to assemble a weird collection of plants and herbs on the floor in front of him. Hemlock and foxglove, ivy and deadnettle, henbane and marigold[.]3
  • Any other plant of the genus Hyoscyamus.

Etymology

From Middle English henbane, hennebane (> French hanebane), equivalent to hen +‎ bane. Cognate with Danish hønsebane, Swedish hönsbane. Compare also Old English hennebelle (“henbane”, literally “hen-bell”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhɛnbeɪn/
  • Audio: 🔊

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 157: ↩

  2. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 114: ↩

  3. 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 12: ↩

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