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hemlock

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hemlock¹

  • /ˈhɛmˌlɒk/

Where it comes from

From Middle English hemlok, hemeluc, from Old English hemlīc, hymlīc m and hymlīce f (“hemlock, bryony, convolvulus”), of uncertain origin.

speculative etymology

Compare Old English hymele (“hop-vine, hops”), Old English humele (“bryony, widerton, hair moss, gold-hair, morning glory”), Danish and Swedish humle (“hops”), Icelandic humall (“hops”). Perhaps from Scythian, from Proto-Iranian *háwmah (“ephedra; juice”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sáwmas from Proto-Indo-European *sewh₁- (“to press out, extract”).

;cognates

* (from Sarmato-Scythian *haumala) Ossetian хумӕллӕг (xumællæg, “hops”)

* (from Sarmato-Scythian *hauma) Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬊𐬨𐬀 (haoma), Baluchi [script needed] (hum), Persian هوم (hôm))

* (from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma) Sanskrit सोम (soma))

More at suck.

noun hemlocks

  1. countable, uncountable Conium, either Conium maculatum or Conium chaerophylloides. Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.
  2. countable, uncountable Cicuta (water hemlock).

    Similar: beaver poison, cowbane, musquash root, poison parsnip, spotted cowbane, water hemlock

  3. countable, uncountable Poison obtained from these Conium and Cicuta plants.
  4. countable, uncountable Any of several coniferous trees, of the genus Tsuga, that grow in North America; the wood of such trees. The wind blows and the hemlocks wave their feathery leading shoots. Such a graceful profile, so elegant a tree.

Similar: devil's bread, devil's porridge, herb bennet, poison hemlock, poison parsley, Conium maculatum, Conium chaerophylloides

Hemlock²

Where it comes from

All places are presumably named after the North American tree, which is non-poisonous.

proper noun

  1. An unincorporated community in Taylor Township, Howard County, Indiana.
  2. A census-designated place in Richland Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  3. A census-designated place in the town of Livonia, Livingston County, New York.
  4. A village in Perry County, Ohio.
  5. An unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon.
  6. A township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.
  7. An unincorporated community in Floyd County, Virginia.
  8. Synonym of Stabler, Skamania County, Washington.

    Similar: Stabler, Skamania County, Washington

  9. An unincorporated community in Fayette County, West Virginia.
  10. An unincorporated community in Jackson County, West Virginia.
  11. A ghost town in the town of Warner, Clark County, Wisconsin.

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: devil's bread, devil's porridge, herb bennet, poison hemlock, poison parsley, Conium maculatum, Conium chaerophylloides

Translations

Every language

noun poisonous plant of genus Conium

Españolcicuta
한국어독당근 dokdanggeun
日本語毒人参 dokuninjin
中文毒芹 dúqín, 毒参 dúcān
Portuguêscicuta
Françaisciguë
DeutschSchierling, Gefleckter Schierling, Fleckenschierling
Italianocicuta
Ελληνικάκώνειο kóneio, κιρκούτα kirkoúta
Românăcucută
Русскийболиголо́в boligolóv, оме́г omég
العربيةشَوْكَرَان šawkarān
עבריתרֹאשׁ rōš

noun tree

Españolfalso abeto
日本語ツガ tsuga, 栂 tsuga
中文鐵杉 /铁杉 tiěshān
Portuguêstsuga
Françaispruche
DeutschHemlocktanne, Schierlingstanne
Русскийтсу́га tsúga

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Cite this
MLA

"hemlock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hemlock. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

hemlock. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hemlock

Chicago

"hemlock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hemlock.

BibTeX
@misc{hemlock_2026,
  title = {hemlock},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hemlock},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}