hemlock meaning and definition

HEMLOCK noun

Definition of hemlock (noun)

1. poisonous drug derived from an Eurasian plant of the genus Conium
   • "Socrates refused to flee and died by drinking hemlock"
2. large branching biennial herb native to Eurasia and Africa and adventive in North America having large fernlike leaves and white flowers; usually found in damp habitats; all parts extremely poisonous
   • synonyms: California fern, Conium maculatum, Nebraska fern, poison hemlock, poison parsley, winter fern
3. soft coarse splintery wood of a hemlock tree especially the western hemlock
4. an evergreen tree
   • synonyms: hemlock tree