digitalis

[ dij-i-tal-is, -tey-lis ]
/ ˌdɪdʒ ɪˈtæl ɪs, -ˈteɪ lɪs /

noun

any plant belonging to the genus Digitalis, of the figwort family, especially the common foxglove, D. purpurea.
the dried leaves of the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, used in medicine as a heart stimulant.

Origin of digitalis

1655–65; < New Latin digitālis, a name apparently suggested by the German name for the foxglove, Fingerhut literally, thimble; see digital

Example sentences from the Web for digitalis

British Dictionary definitions for digitalis

digitalis
/ (ˌdɪdʒɪˈteɪlɪs) /

noun

any Eurasian scrophulariaceous plant of the genus Digitalis, such as the foxglove, having bell-shaped flowers and a basal rosette of leaves
  1. a drug prepared from the dried leaves or seeds of the foxglove: a mixture of glycosides used medicinally to treat heart failure and some abnormal heart rhythms
  2. any cardiac glycoside, whatever its origin

Word Origin for digitalis

C17: from New Latin, from Latin: relating to a finger (referring to the corollas of the flower); based on German Fingerhut foxglove, literally: finger-hat or thimble

Medical definitions for digitalis

digitalis
[ dĭj′ĭ-tălĭs ]

n.

A plant of the genus Digitalis, which includes the foxgloves, several species of which are a source of cardioactive steroid glycosides used in the treatment of certain heart diseases.
A pharmaceutical prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of the purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, and prescribed as a cardiac stimulant in the treatment of congestive heart failure and other disorders of the heart.

Scientific definitions for digitalis

digitalis
[ dĭj′ĭ-tălĭs ]

A drug prepared from the seeds and dried leaves of the purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, and prescribed as a cardiac stimulant in the treatment of congestive heart failure and other disorders of the heart.