DIGITALIS

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does digitalis mean? 

• DIGITALIS (noun)
  The noun DIGITALIS has 2 senses:

1. a powerful cardiac stimulant obtained from foxglove

2. any of several plants of the genus Digitalis

  Familiarity information: DIGITALIS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIGITALIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A powerful cardiac stimulant obtained from foxglove

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

digitalin; digitalis; digitalis glycoside

Hypernyms ("digitalis" is a kind of...):

cardiac glucoside; cardiac glycoside (obtained from a number of plants and used to stimulate the heart in cases of heart failure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "digitalis"):

digitoxin (digitalis preparation used to treat congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia)

digoxin; Lanoxin (digitalis preparation (trade name Lanoxin) used to treat congestive heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia; helps the heart beat more forcefully)

Derivation:

digitalize (administer digitalis such that the patient benefits maximally without getting adverse effects)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of several plants of the genus Digitalis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

digitalis; foxglove

Hypernyms ("digitalis" is a kind of...):

herb; herbaceous plant (a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "digitalis"):

common foxglove; Digitalis purpurea; fairy bell; finger-flower; finger-root; fingerflower; fingerroot (tall leafy European biennial or perennial having spectacular clusters of large tubular pink-purple flowers; leaves yield drug digitalis and are poisonous to livestock)

Digitalis lutea; straw foxglove; yellow foxglove (European yellow-flowered foxglove)

Holonyms ("digitalis" is a member of...):

genus Digitalis (genus of Eurasian herbs having alternate leaves and racemes of showy bell-shaped flowers)

 Context examples 

It usually occurs during myocardial infarction, after heart surgery, or in digitalis intoxication.

(Junctional Tachycardia by ECG Finding, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Digitalis is made from the dried leaves of Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) plants.

(Digitalis, NCI Dictionary)

In addition, this agent exerts a negative inotropic effect on the heart through a transiently induced hypocalcemic state, thereby antagonizing the inotropic and chronotropic effects of digitalis glycosides on the ventricles of the heart.

(Edetate Disodium, NCI Thesaurus)