belladonna

See also: Belladonna

English

Etymology

The belladonna plant, showing leaves and berries.

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (altered by folk etymology: bella donna (“beautiful lady”)) from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), of Gaulish origin. The folk etymology was motivated by the cosmetic use of nightshade for dilating the eyes.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌbɛləˈdɑnə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌbɛləˈdɒnə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒnə

Noun

belladonna (countable and uncountable, plural belladonnas)

1. A plant, Atropa belladonna, having purple bell-shaped flowers and poisonous black glossy berries.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 112:

     Witches always anointed themselves with ointments before departing up the chimney to their Sabbaths. One such ointment was composed of Aconite, Belladonna, Water Parsley, Cinquefoil and Babies' Fat.

2. An alkaloid extracted from this plant, sometimes used medicinally, containing atropine.
   • 1976 December 11, Tommi Avicolli, “The Middle Ages: Lest We Forget...”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 24, page 11:

     The elderly women who practiced herbalism and administered belladonna (a pain killer) to pregnant women were apt to be accused of witchcraft. The Medieval church was against the administration of belladonna because they believed women were meant to suffer pain in childbirth as a result of Eve's sin.

   • 2005 June 13, Edmund White, “My Women: Learning how to love them.”, in The New Yorker:

     Cathy teetered downstairs on very high heels, her hair swept up in a disintegrating “brioche”, her eyes glistening with belladonna drops.

Synonyms

Wikispecies

• (Atropa belladonna): deadly nightshade

Derived terms

• belladonna lily
• belladonnized, belladonized
• Belladonna mottle virus

Translations

a plant, Atropa belladonna — see deadly nightshade

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɛ.laːˈdɔ.naː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bel‧la‧don‧na

Noun

belladonna f or m (plural belladonna's, diminutive belladonnaatje n)

1. Synonym of wolfskers (“deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna”)

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbelːɑdonːɑ/, [ˈbe̞lːɑ̝ˌdo̞nːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -onːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): bel‧la‧don‧na

Noun

belladonna

1. belladonna, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)

Declension

Inflection of belladonna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		belladonna	belladonnat
genitive		belladonnan	belladonnien
partitive		belladonnaa	belladonnia
illative		belladonnaan	belladonniin
		singular	plural
nominative		belladonna	belladonnat
accusative	nom.	belladonna	belladonnat
	gen.	belladonnan
genitive		belladonnan	belladonnien belladonnain rare
partitive		belladonnaa	belladonnia
inessive		belladonnassa	belladonnissa
elative		belladonnasta	belladonnista
illative		belladonnaan	belladonniin
adessive		belladonnalla	belladonnilla
ablative		belladonnalta	belladonnilta
allative		belladonnalle	belladonnille
essive		belladonnana	belladonnina
translative		belladonnaksi	belladonniksi
abessive		belladonnatta	belladonnitta
instructive		—	belladonnin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of belladonna (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative belladonnani belladonnani accusative nom. belladonnani belladonnani gen. belladonnani genitive belladonnani belladonnieni belladonnaini rare partitive belladonnaani belladonniani inessive belladonnassani belladonnissani elative belladonnastani belladonnistani illative belladonnaani belladonniini adessive belladonnallani belladonnillani ablative belladonnaltani belladonniltani allative belladonnalleni belladonnilleni essive belladonnanani belladonninani translative belladonnakseni belladonnikseni abessive belladonnattani belladonnittani instructive — — comitative — belladonnineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative belladonnasi belladonnasi accusative nom. belladonnasi belladonnasi gen. belladonnasi genitive belladonnasi belladonniesi belladonnaisi rare partitive belladonnaasi belladonniasi inessive belladonnassasi belladonnissasi elative belladonnastasi belladonnistasi illative belladonnaasi belladonniisi adessive belladonnallasi belladonnillasi ablative belladonnaltasi belladonniltasi allative belladonnallesi belladonnillesi essive belladonnanasi belladonninasi translative belladonnaksesi belladonniksesi abessive belladonnattasi belladonnittasi instructive — — comitative — belladonninesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative belladonnamme belladonnamme accusative nom. belladonnamme belladonnamme gen. belladonnamme genitive belladonnamme belladonniemme belladonnaimme rare partitive belladonnaamme belladonniamme inessive belladonnassamme belladonnissamme elative belladonnastamme belladonnistamme illative belladonnaamme belladonniimme adessive belladonnallamme belladonnillamme ablative belladonnaltamme belladonniltamme allative belladonnallemme belladonnillemme essive belladonnanamme belladonninamme translative belladonnaksemme belladonniksemme abessive belladonnattamme belladonnittamme instructive — — comitative — belladonninemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative belladonnanne belladonnanne accusative nom. belladonnanne belladonnanne gen. belladonnanne genitive belladonnanne belladonnienne belladonnainne rare partitive belladonnaanne belladonnianne inessive belladonnassanne belladonnissanne elative belladonnastanne belladonnistanne illative belladonnaanne belladonniinne adessive belladonnallanne belladonnillanne ablative belladonnaltanne belladonniltanne allative belladonnallenne belladonnillenne essive belladonnananne belladonninanne translative belladonnaksenne belladonniksenne abessive belladonnattanne belladonnittanne instructive — — comitative — belladonninenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative belladonnansa belladonnansa accusative nom. belladonnansa belladonnansa gen. belladonnansa genitive belladonnansa belladonniensa belladonnainsa rare partitive belladonnaansa belladonniaan belladonniansa inessive belladonnassaan belladonnassansa belladonnissaan belladonnissansa elative belladonnastaan belladonnastansa belladonnistaan belladonnistansa illative belladonnaansa belladonniinsa adessive belladonnallaan belladonnallansa belladonnillaan belladonnillansa ablative belladonnaltaan belladonnaltansa belladonniltaan belladonniltansa allative belladonnalleen belladonnallensa belladonnilleen belladonnillensa essive belladonnanaan belladonnanansa belladonninaan belladonninansa translative belladonnakseen belladonnaksensa belladonnikseen belladonniksensa abessive belladonnattaan belladonnattansa belladonnittaan belladonnittansa instructive — — comitative — belladonnineen belladonninensa

Synonyms

• myrkkykoiso
• lemmonmarja

Further reading

• “belladonna”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Italian

Etymology

Interpreted by folk etymology as bella (“beautiful”) +‎ donna (“lady”), from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɛl.laˈdɔn.na/
• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Hyphenation: bel‧la‧dòn‧na

Noun

belladonna f (plural belledonne)

1. deadly nightshade, belladonna (Atropa belladonna)

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian belladonna (bella donna, literally “beautiful lady”), altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin blādōna (“nightshade”), from Gaulish *blātōnā, blātunā, from Proto-Celtic *blātus (“flower”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃tus, from *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /bel.laˈdon.na/, [bɛlːʲäˈd̪ɔnːä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /bel.laˈdon.na/, [belːäˈd̪ɔnːä]

Noun

belladonna f (genitive belladonnae); first declension

1. (New Latin) belladonna (Atropa belladonna)

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	belladonna	belladonnae
genitive	belladonnae	belladonnārum
dative	belladonnae	belladonnīs
accusative	belladonnam	belladonnās
ablative	belladonnā	belladonnīs
vocative	belladonna	belladonnae

Synonyms

• solānum

Descendants

Translingual descendants

• Aecidium belladonnae
• Amaryllis belladonna
• Amphisphaeria belladonnae
• Aspila belladonna
• Atropa belladonna
• Boberella belladonna
• Coburgia belladonna
• Delias belladonna
• Delphinium belladonna
• Hamadryas belladonna
• Leopoldia belladonna
• Lestes belladonna
• Lilium belladonna
• Mycosphaerella belladonnae
• Naevia belladonnae
• Pauia belladonna
• Ploettnera belladonnae
• Sphaerella belladonnae
• Trematosphaeria belladonnae

Polish

belladonna

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian belladonna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl.laˈdɔn.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔnna
• Syllabification: bel‧la‧don‧na

Noun

belladonna f

1. (literary) Alternative form of belladona

Declension

Declension of belladonna

	singular	plural
nominative	belladonna	belladonny
genitive	belladonny	belladonn
dative	belladonnie	belladonnom
accusative	belladonnę	belladonny
instrumental	belladonną	belladonnami
locative	belladonnie	belladonnach
vocative	belladonno	belladonny

Further reading

• belladonna in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• belladonna in Polish dictionaries at PWN