digitalis Hear it!

digitalis Definition

digi·talis (dij′i tal′is; also, -tā′lis)

noun

  1. any of a genus (Digitalis) of plants of the figwort family, with long spikes of thimblelike flowers; foxglove
  2. the dried leaves of a common digitalis plant (Digitalis purpurea) that usually has purple flowers
  3. a medicine made from these leaves, used as a heart stimulant

Etymology: ModL, foxglove < L digitalis, belonging to the finger < digitus, a finger, digit: so named (1542) by L. Fuchs (see fuchsia), from its thimblelike flowers, after the Ger name fingerhut, thimble

digitalis Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • use: Digitalis used in cases of heart disease and dropsy.
  • have: How many more could it have saved had digitalis been released sooner?

Modifies a noun

  • purpurea: Digitalis purpurea is a wildflower that has become a garden basic.
  • glycoside: It belongs to a class of drugs known as digitalis glycosides.
  • toxicity: All forms of heart block have been recorded in digitalis toxicity.
  • intoxication: Disopyramide should be used with caution in the treatment of digitalis intoxication.
  • drug: Digitalis drugs, which are drugs extracted from plants and used to treat heart conditions, are also known to interact with doxycycline.
  • extract: There are also reports of digitalis extract finding some use in the treatment of dropsy.

Noun used with modifier

  • drug: Much later the healing properties of the drug digitalis, also from the foxglove plant, was extolled by doctors.
  • heart: Digitalis ( Foxglove ) This plant actually gives us the heart medicine digitalis, but ingested in uncontrolled quantities, it can be deadly.