: the dried powdered leaf of the common foxglove that contains glycosides which act on the heart and that is a powerful cardiotonic serving especially to increase the force of myocardial contraction
broadly: any of various cardiac glycosides (such as digitalin or digoxin) that are constituents of digitalis or are derived from a related foxglove (Digitalis lanata)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn the 19th century, for example, they were used to study digitalis dosing.National Geographic, 9 Oct. 2019 Though most digitalis plants found in U.S. gardens may not contain enough of the chemical to be lethal, Soejarto says don’t self-medicate with this plant. Cindy Dampier, chicagotribune.com, 25 July 2019 Fascinating bits of history are included throughout, including the suggestion that one such drug—digitalis, or foxglove, formerly used to treat epilepsy—may have caused a yellowing of vision in Van Gogh, affecting the colors in his paintings. Barbara Paul Robinson, WSJ, 11 Apr. 2018 Weight-loss regimens included consuming soap, chalk, pickles, digitalis, camphor tea, grapefruit (which was thought to contain fat-dissolving enzymes), potassium acetate (a diuretic), and ipecac (which induces vomiting). Jerome Groopman, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2017
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, genus name, from Latin, of a finger, from digitus; from its finger-shaped corolla