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DictionarydigitalisHeart medicine
noun

digitalis

dih-jih-TAY-lis/ˌdɪdʒɪˈteɪlɪs/

A foxglove plant yielding substances used in heart medicine.

The flowering digitalis stem indicates the plant source of the heart medicine.

A small unlabelled medicine vial with two tablets beside a simple anatomical heart model, with a separate foxglove flowering stem behind them to indicate the medicine’s botanical source.
Etymology
digitalisLatinfoxglove

The plant name translates a German name meaning “thimble,” inspired by the bell-shaped flowers. The name then passed from foxglove to the heart medicine extracted from it.

In context

Untold Narrative6:37
They tried creosote, whiskey, digitalis, and strychnine.
The Untold Story of the 1918 Spanish Flu Frontline Nurses

More examples

  • This digitalis bears rows of purple, bell-shaped flowers.
  • Keep children and pets away from digitalis because it is poisonous.
  • The leaves of digitalis contain substances used in some heart medicines.

Forms

digitalis · digitalises

Similar words

foxglove
The everyday name for the same flowering plant.