digitalis

dig·i·tal·is  (dj-tls)

n.

1. A plant of the genus Digitalis, which includes the foxgloves.

2. A drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of this plant, used in medicine as a cardiac stimulant.

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[Latin digitlis, of a finger (from the finger-shaped corollas of foxglove), from digitus, finger; see digit.]

Word History: The name of the plant genus Digitalis, whose member the foxglove provides an important drug used to treat heart disease, is associated with another part of the body, the finger. In Digitalis, which comes from the Latin word digitlis, meaning "relating to a finger," we recognize digit, which derives from Latin digitus, "finger, toe." In Modern Latin the genus name was chosen because the German name for the foxglove is Fingerhut, "thimble," or literally "finger hat." The second part of our word foxglove also refers to the similarity of the foxglove blossoms to the fingers of a glove. Digitalis is first recorded in English in a work published in 1664.

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digitalis

Noun

a drug made from foxglove leaves: used as a heart stimulant [Latin: relating to a finger (from the shape of the foxglove flowers)]

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digitalis  (dj-tls)

A drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of the purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, and prescribed as a cardiac stimulant in the treatment of congestive heart failure and other disorders of the heart.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	digitalis - a powerful cardiac stimulant obtained from foxglove digitalin, digitalis glycoside digitoxin - digitalis preparation used to treat congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia digoxin, Lanoxin - digitalis preparation (trade name Lanoxin) used to treat congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia; helps the heart beat more forcefully cardiac glucoside, cardiac glycoside - obtained from a number of plants and used to stimulate the heart in cases of heart failure
	2.	digitalis - any of several plants of the genus Digitalis foxglove herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests genus Digitalis - genus of Eurasian herbs having alternate leaves and racemes of showy bell-shaped flowers common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, fairy bell, finger-flower, finger-root, fingerflower, fingerroot - tall leafy European biennial or perennial having spectacular clusters of large tubular pink-purple flowers; leaves yield drug digitalis and are poisonous to livestock Digitalis lutea, straw foxglove, yellow foxglove - European yellow-flowered foxglove