mandrake means any plant of the genus Mandragora, certain of which are said to have medicinal or aphrodisiac properties; the root of these plants often resembles the shape of a small person, hence occasioning various mythic, magical, or occult uses. It carries an Arena rating of 1790, earned across 21 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mandrake ranks #110 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #186 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #227 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #728 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
mandrake is pronounced /ˈmændɹeɪk/.
Why “mandrake” is a great word
A plant of the genus Mandragora, the root of which is often forked and human-shaped, historically used in medicine, magic, and folklore for its purported narcotic and aphrodisiac properties. From Middle English *mandrake*, *mandroke*, an alteration of *mandragora*, with the ending *-dragora* reinterpreted as related to *dragon* and replaced with the native word *drake* (dragon), from Old English *mandragora*, from Medieval Latin *mandragorās*, from Ancient Greek μανδραγόρας (*mandragóras*). Unlike "nightshade," which names an entire family of toxic plants without the anthropomorphic root, or "narcotic," a clinical term for sleep-inducing drugs stripped of mythic resonance, *mandrake* carries the full weight of its own dark legend. It is the little manikin root bound in silk, the fatal shriek said to kill its harvester, and the potent philter brewed in absolute secrecy—a human-shaped hope pulled from the dirt to cure, to curse, or to conjure love.
Etymology
From Middle English mandrake, mandroke, an alteration of mandragora with the ending -dragora reinterpreted as related to dragon and replaced with native drake, from Old English mandragora, from Medieval Latin mandragorās, from Ancient Greek μανδραγόρας (mandragóras).
noun
- Any plant of the genus Mandragora, certain of which are said to have medicinal or aphrodisiac properties; the root of these plants often resembles the shape of a small person, hence occasioning various mythic, magical, or occult uses.
- A root of a mandrake plant that resembled human form, especially one kept or used for magic or occult purposes.e.g.“Mandrakes were sometimes considered in the light of familiars. Witches kept both male and female specimens of the magic root in bottles[.]” — 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 75:
- The drug methaqualone.
- A kind of tiny demon immune to fire.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- mandragorite 72% match — One who uses mandrake as a narcotic drug vs mandrake →
- hermodactyl 58% match — A type of root, probably from a plant of the genus Colchicum, as imported and used in Western medicine. vs mandrake →
- dragonroot 58% match — Green dragon, certain plants of family Araceae. vs mandrake →
- lustwort 54% match — The sundew. vs mandrake →
- dwale 54% match — Belladonna or a similar soporific plant. vs mandrake →
- ginseng 53% match — Any plant of two species of the genus Panax (Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius), having forked roots supposed to have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. vs mandrake →
- mandrix 53% match — Synonym of mandies (“the drug methaqualone”). vs mandrake →
- vervain 53% match — Any herbaceous plant in the genus Verbena especially if used for medicinal purposes, primarily Verbena officinalis, common in Europe and formerly held to have medicinal properties. vs mandrake →