You searched for: “belladonna
belladonna (s) (noun), belladonnas (pl)
Etymology: from Italian bella donna, literally, "beautiful lady", which was altered by folk etymology from Medieval Latin bladona, "nightshade"; from bella, feminine of bello, "beautiful"; which came from Latin bellus + donna, "lady".

The folk etymology resulted from the use of nightshade as a cosmetic for dilating the eyes.

This entry is located in the following unit: bell-, bel- (page 1)