henbane Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun poisonous fetid Old World herb having sticky hairy leaves and yellow-brown flowers; yields hyoscyamine and scopolamine
    black henbane; stinking nightshade; Hyoscyamus niger.

WordNet

Hen"bane` noun
Etymology
Hen + bane.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Hyoscyamus (H. niger). All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the leaves are used for the same purposes as belladonna. It is poisonous to domestic fowls; whence the name. Called also, stinking nightshade, from the fetid odor of the plant. See Hyoscyamus.

Webster 1913