hemlock
noun
hem·lock
| \ ˈhem-ˌläk
\
\
Definition of hemlock
1a
: any of several poisonous herbs (such as a poison hemlock or a water hemlock) of the carrot family having finely cut leaves and small white flowers
b
: a drug or lethal drink prepared from the poison hemlock
2
: any of a genus (Tsuga) of evergreen coniferous trees of the pine family
also
: the soft light splintery wood of a hemlock
Examples of hemlock in a Sentence
Socrates died after drinking hemlock.
Recent Examples on the Web
In southeast Alaska, the normally lush forests are falling prey to spruce bark beetles and hemlock sawflys, which are taking advantage of a lack of rainfall and higher than average temperatures. — Matthew Cappucci And Andrew Freedman, chicagotribune.com, "More freak weather comes to Alaska, which has had an unprecedented summer," 19 Aug. 2019 In southeast Alaska, the normally lush forests are falling prey to spruce bark beetles and hemlock sawflys, which are taking advantage of a lack of rainfall and higher than average temperatures. — Author: Matthew Cappucci, Andrew Freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "More freak weather comes to Alaska, which has had an unprecedented summer," 17 Aug. 2019 After years of snow and rain, the Great Barrington cabin — with all of its original stone — remains, faithfully safeguarded by looming hemlock giants. — Martha Merrow, BostonGlobe.com, "Couple to restore Berkshires writing cabin of poet, civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson," 26 July 2019 Jones and Rosenberg-Jones say the cabin perched in an ancient hemlock grove has fallen into disrepair and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore. — USA TODAY, "Crystal Cathedral reborn Catholic, 'Conjuring' house, Wiki ‘editathon’: News from around our 50 states," 11 July 2019 Among the many landmarks along Going-to-the-Sun Road are Avalanche Creek with its ancient hemlock-cedar forest, a wicked switchback called the Loop, a roadside Weeping Wall, and the overlook for big Jackson Glacier. — National Geographic, "A guide to Glacier National Park," 17 Apr. 2019 Or in medieval England, you were supposed to put a piece of hemlock in your sock and walk around with it. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "Why we don’t have a hangover cure yet," 21 Dec. 2018 The tower will be made of precast concrete columns with branch connectors to visually tie the structure to the hemlock trees at the crash site. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, "Building the Flight 93 Memorial’s Massive Chime Tower," 5 July 2018 Where trees have fallen, new-growth maple, cherry and hemlock are poking through the earth. — Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, "Ashes of an industry: A Pennsylvania tradition is dying, one baseball bat at a time," 14 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hemlock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hemlock
hemlock
noun
English Language Learners Definition of hemlock
: an evergreen tree with soft wood
: a type of poisonous plant that has small white flowers
: a deadly drug or drink made from this plant
See the full definition for hemlock in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hemlock
noun
hem·lock
| \ ˈhem-ˌläk
\
\
Kids Definition of hemlock
1
: an evergreen tree related to the pine
2
: a poisonous plant with small white flowers and leaves divided into many parts
hemlock
noun
hem·lock
| \ ˈhem-ˌläk
\
\
Medical Definition of hemlock
1a
: any of several poisonous herbs (as a poison hemlock or a water hemlock) of the carrot family (Umbelliferae) having finely cut leaves and small white flowers
b
: conium sense 2
2
: a drug or lethal drink prepared from the poison hemlock — compare coniine
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