Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

henbane

/ˈhɛnbeɪn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.63 in modern English

Syllables: hen-bane
IPA: /ˈhɛnbeɪn/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any member of the species Hyoscyamus niger of poisonous plants, used sometimes as a drug that causes at least hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any other plant of the genus Hyoscyamus.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Deadly nightshade, henbane, hellebore and mandrakes were of evil reputation[.]"
"Henbane acts as an anaphrodisiac."
"After studying the book for several minutes, he began to assemble a weird collection of plants and herbs on the floor in front of him. Hemlock and foxglove, ivy and deadnettle, henbane and marigold[.]"

Etymology

From Middle English henbane, hennebane ( > French hanebane), equivalent to hen + bane. Cognate with Danish hønsebane, Swedish hönsbane. Compare also Old English hennebelle (“henbane”, literally “hen-bell”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: henbane

Usage

Inflected Forms

henbanes (plural)

Phrases

black henbane Egyptian henbane golden henbane white henbane yellow henbane

Synonyms

black henbane hog's bane hog's bean stinking nightshade hyoscyamus hyoscyamus niger

Questions

How do you pronounce henbane?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛnbeɪn/.
What does henbane mean?: Any member of the species Hyoscyamus niger of poisonous plants, used sometimes as a drug that causes at least hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin.
Where does henbane come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce henbane

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “henbane”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɛnbeɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “henbane”.
Repeat and practice — Say “henbane” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.