A poisonous plant with small white flowers that can cause death if ingested; also a type of evergreen tree (which is non-poisonous despite the shared name).
From Old English 'hemlic,' origin uncertain but possibly related to words for 'stinking.' The term likely referred to the foul smell of the poisonous plant.
Hemlock poisoned Socrates in 399 BCE—it causes progressive paralysis while leaving the mind clear, so he reportedly remained aware and conversational right until death. This makes hemlock historically loaded with meaning about accepting fate, which is why it appears in Romantic poetry as a symbol of noble death.
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