- a poisonous plant (Mandragora officinarum) of the nightshade family, found in Mediterranean regions: it has purple or white flowers and a thick root, often forked, formerly used in medicine for its narcotic and emetic properties
- the root, formerly thought to have magic powers because of its fancied resemblance to the human form
- May apple
Origin of mandrake
Middle English mondrake, altered by folk etymology (by associated, association with man + drake, dragon) from mandrag(g)e from Old English mandragora from Late Latin from Classical Latin mandragoras from Classical Greek
