conium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun small genus of highly toxic biennials: hemlock
    genus Conium.

WordNet

Co*ni"um noun
Etymology
NL., fr. Gr. hemlock.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of biennial, poisonous, white-flowered, umbelliferous plants, bearing ribbed fruit ("seeds") and decompound leaves.
  2. (Med.) The common hemlock (Conium maculatum, poison hemlock, spotted hemlock, poison parsley), a roadside weed of Europe, Asia, and America, cultivated in the United States for medicinal purpose. It is an active poison. The leaves and fruit are used in medicine.

Webster 1913