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sab·a·dil·la

(săb′ə-dĭlə, -dēə)

1. A plant (Schoenocaulon officinale) found from Mexico to Peru, having long spikelike racemes of small flowers, long narrow leaves, and seeds that contain veratridine and other alkaloids.

2. A preparation of the seeds of this plant, used as an insecticide and in some medicinal preparations.

[Spanish cebadilla, diminutive of cebada, barley, from Latin cibātus, from past participle of cibāre, to feed, from cibus, food.]

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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