colchicum Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun chiefly fall-blooming perennial cormous herbs; sometimes placed in family Colchicaceae
    genus Colchicum.

WordNet

Col"chi*cum noun
Etymology
L., a plant with a poisonous root, fr. Colchicus Colchian, fr. Colchis, Gr. , an ancient province in Asia, east of the Black Sea, where was the home of Media the sorceress.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of bulbous-rooted plants found in many parts of Europe, including the meadow saffron. ✍ Preparations made from the poisonous bulbs and seeds, and perhaps from the flowers, of the Colchicum autumnale (meadow saffron) are used as remedies for gout and rheumatism.

Webster 1913