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DictionarymandrakeForked-root plant
noun

mandrake

MAN-drayk/ˈmændreɪk/

A plant with a forked root traditionally used in medicine and associated with folklore.

The uprooted mandrake has violet flowers and a thick, forked root.

A botanically realistic uprooted mandrake with its leafy rosette, small violet flowers, and thick forked root clearly visible.
Etymology
mandrakeGreekmandrake plant

Greek mandragoras named the plant; its deeper origin is uncertain, probably non-Indo-European. Its forked root was thought to resemble a human body and was said to shriek when pulled from the ground.

In context

Harry Potter0:25
Now gather round everyone. Today we're going to re-pot Mandrakes. Who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake root?
Mandrake Potting | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

More examples

  • Old herbal texts describe mandrake as a medicinal plant.
  • According to folklore, a mandrake screams when pulled from the ground.
  • The garden's mandrakes grow in a sunny bed.

Forms

mandrake · mandrakes