# mandrake

/ˈmænˌdɹeɪk/ (US) · /mˈændɹeɪk/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mandrake
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

a plant with thick roots that can look a bit like a person, with wide green leaves and purple flowers. You often meet it in old stories and fantasy books, where its root has magic powers.

For teachers: a Mediterranean plant of the nightshade family with a thick, often forked root, broad leaves and bell-shaped purple flowers. Contains toxic tropane alkaloids and figures prominently in folklore and historical medicine, where the human-like root was credited with magical and anaesthetic properties.

## Examples

- The mandrake grows low leaves and purple flowers.
- The gardener warned visitors not to touch the mandrake because its roots and berries are poisonous.
- In medieval herbals the mandrake appears with its forked root drawn as a tiny human body, a visual shorthand for centuries of myth linking the plant to fertility, sleep and death.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.