ac·o·nite   
n. In both senses also called monkshood, wolfsbane.
  1. Any of various, usually poisonous perennial herbs of the genus Aconitum, having tuberous roots, palmately lobed leaves, blue or white flowers with large hoodlike upper sepals, and an aggregate of follicles.
  2. The dried leaves and roots of some of these plants, which yield a poisonous alkaloid that was formerly used medicinally.
[French aconit, from Latin acontum, from Greek akonton, perhaps from neuter sing. of akontos, without dust or struggle  : a-, without; see a-1 + konis, dust.]
 
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
 

aconite

\Ac"o*nite\, n. [L. aconitum, Gr. ?: cf. F. aconit.] 1. (Bot.) The herb wolfsbane, or monkshood; -- applied to any plant of the genus Aconitum (tribe Hellebore), all the species of which are poisonous.

2. An extract or tincture obtained from Aconitum napellus, used as a poison and medicinally.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

aconite

n : any of various usually poisonous plants of the genus Aconitum having tuberous roots and palmately lobed leaves and blue or white flowers

Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University