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hem·lock

(hĕmlŏk′)

a. Any of various coniferous evergreen trees of the genus Tsuga of North America and eastern Asia, having small cones and short flat leaves with two white bands underneath.

b. The wood of such trees, used as a source of lumber, wood pulp, and tannic acid.

a. Any of several poisonous plants of the genera Conium and Cicuta of the parsley family, such as the poison hemlock.

b. A poison obtained from the poison hemlock.

[Middle English hemlok, poisonous hemlock, from Old English hymlice, hemlic.]

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hemlock

eastern hemlock

Tsuga canadensis

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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