nux vomica

2 definitions found

nux vomica - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Nux vomica \Nux` vom"i*ca\ [NL., fr. L. nux a nut + vomere to
     vomit.]
     The seed of Strychnos Nuxvomica, a tree which abounds on
     the Malabar and Coromandel coasts of the East Indies. From
     this seed the deadly poisons known as strychnine and brucine
     are obtained. The seeds are sometimes called Quaker buttons.
     [1913 Webster]

nux vomica - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  nux vomica
      n 1: a medicine made from the seeds of an Asiatic tree; contains
           strychnine and brucine; formerly used as a stimulant