aconite
noun
ac·o·nite ˈa-kə-ˌnīt 
plural aconites
1
: monkshood
2
: the dried poisonous tuberous root of a common monkshood (Aconitum napellus) used especially formerly for its medicinal properties (as in relieving pain)
3
: winter aconite
… they began planting one million daffodil, crocus, and aconite bulbs.
Walter Karp
Walter Karp
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Winter aconite, which reach 3 to 4 inches in height, is easy to grow and will prosper in full sun or dappled shade and will form large colonies, spreading by seed. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2021 Winter aconite will perform best if the soil moisture is more consistent year-round, versus dry during the dormant season, as many other spring-flowering bulbs prefer. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2021 Snowdrops have been flowering for a week, the aconite about to burst. Heather E. Goodman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2021
Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2021 Winter aconite will perform best if the soil moisture is more consistent year-round, versus dry during the dormant season, as many other spring-flowering bulbs prefer. Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2021 Snowdrops have been flowering for a week, the aconite about to burst. Heather E. Goodman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2021 Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin aconītum, borrowed from Greek akónīton, perhaps of pre-Greek substratal origin
Note: The notion in late antiquity that the word was derived from Greek akonit́ī "without dust," hence, "without a struggle, effortless," referring to the efficacy of the poison, is fanciful.
First Known Use
1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing aconite
Medical Definition
aconite
noun
ac·o·nite ˈak-ə-ˌnīt
1
: monkshood
2
: the dried tuberous root of a monkshood (Aconitum napellus) formerly used as a cardiac and respiratory sedative