κώνειον

English (LSJ)

τό,

   A hemlock, Conium maculatum, Hp.Steril.224, Thphr.HP1.5.3, 9.8.3, Nic.Al.186, Dsc. 4.78, etc.    2 = νάρθηξ, Call.Iamb.1.122, Hsch.    II hemlockjuice, poison by which criminals were put to death at Athens, Ar.Ra. 124; κώνειον πεπωκώς Pl.Ly.219e; τὸ κώνειον ἔπιεν X.HG2.3.56, cf. And.3.10; κώνεια πιεῖν Ar.Ra.1051.

German (Pape)

[Seite 1546] τό, Schierlingskraut, cicuta; Hippocr.; Theophr. u. A.; – bes. der aus dem Safte des Schierlings bereitete tödtliche Trank, der in Athen häufig zur Vollstreckung der Todesstrafe angewendet wurde; Ar. Ran. 124, Plat. Lys. 219 e u. Folgde; auch im plur., κώνεια πιεῖν Ar. Ran. 1051.

Greek (Liddell-Scott)

κώνειον: τό, κοινῶς «καρωνάκι» καὶ «βρωμόχορτον», Ἱππ. 681. 4, Θεοφρ. π. Φυτ. Ἱστ. 9. 8, 3, κτλ. ΙΙ. ὁ ὀπὸς τοῦ δηλητηριώδους φυτοῦ κωνείου, δηλητήριον δι’ οὗ ἐφονεύοντο οἱ κατάδικοι ἐν Ἀθήναις, Ἀριστοφ. Βάτρ. 124· κώνειον πεπωκὼς Πλάτ. Λῦσ. 219Ε· τὸ κώνειον ἔπιεν Ξεν. Ἑλλ. 2. 3, 56· κώνεια πιεῖν Ἀριστοφ. Βάτρ. 1051, Ἀνδοκ. 24. 38.

French (Bailly abrégé)

ου (τό) :
jus de la ciguë.
Étymologie: κῶνος.

Greek Monotonic

κώνειον: τό, «βρωμόχορτο», Λατ. cicuta· το δηλητήριο του φυτού αυτού, με το οποίο οι εγκληματίες καταδικάζονταν σε θάνατο στην Αθήνα, σε Αριστοφ. κ.λπ.

Russian (Dvoretsky)

κώνειον: τό сок цикуты (которым отравляли в Афинах приговоренных к смертной казни) (τὸ κ. или κώνεια πιεῖν Xen., Plat., Arph.).

Dutch (Woordenboekgrieks.nl)

κώνειον -ου, τό [κῶνα: hars] dolle kervel (kruid), drank van dolle kervel:. πίνειν κ. de gifbeker drinken (door ter dood veroordeelden) Lys. 12.17.

Frisk Etymological English

Grammatical information: n.
Meaning: hemlock, Conium maculatum, hemlock-drink, poisonous drink (IA.);
Derivatives: κωνειάζομαι be spiced with hemlock (Men., Str.).
Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]
Etymology: Can hardly be separated from κῶνος (s. v.); the plant can have its name from the narrow leaves with pointed teeth (Bq, W.-Hofmann s. cicūta). On the European names s. Schrader-Nehring Reallexikon 2, 294 f.; on the many Greek surnames of it Strömberg Pflanzennamen 64. - Fur. 121 connects κῶνος, s.v., further κονή and ἀκόνιτον, so it is a Pre-Greek word.

Middle Liddell

κώνειον, ου, τό,
hemlock, Lat. cicuta:—hemlock-juice, by which criminals were put to death at Athens, Ar., etc.

Frisk Etymology German

κώνειον: {kṓneion}
Grammar: n.
Meaning: Schierling, Conium maculatum, Schierlingstrank, Gifttrank (ion. att.);
Derivative: κωνειάζομαι mit Schierling dosiert werden (Men., Str.).
Etymology : Läßt sich von κῶνος (s. d.) schwerlich trennen; die Pflanze kann ihren Namen von den schmalen, spitzgezahnten Abschnitten der fiederschnittigen Blätter bezogen haben (Bq, W.-Hofmann s. cicūta). Über die europäischen Namen des Schierlings s. Schrader-Nehring Reallexikon 2, 294 f.; zu den vielen griechischen Beinamen desselben Strömberg Pflanzennamen 64.
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Wikipedia EN

Conium maculatum is known by several common names. In addition to the British hemlock, the Australian carrot fern and the Irish devil's bread or devil's porridge, the following names are also used: poison parsley, spotted corobane, spotted hemlock, and poison hemlock. The dried stems are sometimes called kecksies or kex.

The plant should not be confused with the coniferous tree Tsuga, also known by the common name hemlock, even though the two plants are quite different. Similarly, the plant should not be confused with Cicuta (commonly known as water hemlock).

Conium comes from the Ancient Greek κώνειον – kṓneion: "hemlock". This may be related to konas (meaning to whirl), in reference to vertigo, one of the symptoms of ingesting the plant.

Conium maculatum is the plant that killed Theramenes, Socrates and Phocion. In ancient Greece, hemlock was used to poison condemned prisoners. Socrates, the most famous victim of hemlock poisoning, was accused of impiety and corrupting the young men of Athens in 399 BC, and his trial resulted in a death sentence. Although Socrates could have avoided death, he decided to take a potent infusion of the hemlock plant. Plato described Socrates' death in the Phaedo:

The man ... laid his hands on him and after a while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. He said "No"; then after that, his thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us that he was growing cold and rigid. And then again he touched him and said that when it reached his heart, he would be gone. The chill had now reached the region about the groin, and uncovering his face, which had been covered, he said – and these were his last words – "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not neglect it." "That," said Crito, "shall be done; but see if you have anything else to say." To this question he made no reply, but after a little while he moved; the attendant uncovered him; his eyes were fixed. And Crito when he saw it, closed his mouth and eyes.

Socrates showed no fear drinking the poison given to him in a cup. He died after drinking it.

Although many have questioned whether this is a factual account, it is the perspective of Bloch that careful attention to Plato's words, modern and ancient medicine and other ancient Greek sources point to this account being consistent with Conium poisoning.

Translations

ar: شوكران أبقع; ast: Conium maculatum; azb: خال‌لی بادیان; az: Xallı badyan; be: Балігалоў плямісты; bg: Бучиниш; bn: কনিয়াম ম্যাকুলেটাম; ca: Cicuta; ceb: Conium maculatum; cs: Bolehlav plamatý; cy: Cegiden cegid; da: Skarntyde; de: Gefleckter Schierling; en: Conium maculatum; eo: Makula konio; es: Conium maculatum; et: Täpiline surmaputk; eu: Astaperrexil handi; fa: شوکران زهرآلود; fi: Myrkkykatko; fr: Grande ciguë; ga: Moing mhear; gl: Cicuta; hi: हेमलाक; hr: Kukuta; hu: Foltos bürök; hy: Գինազոխ բծավոր; io: Cikuto; it: Conium maculatum; kk: Убалдырған; ko: 독당근; ku: Giyajehrk; ky: Сасык балтыркан; lt: Dėmėtoji mauda; ml: ഹെമ്ലോക് പ്ലാന്റ്; myv: Тешксэв гуеньпочко; nl: Gevlekte scheerling; no: Skarntyde; nrm: Conium maculatum; os: Такъуындела; pcd: Chighu; pl: Szczwół plamisty; pt: Conium maculatum; qu: Jama-jama; roa_rup: Conium maculatum; ro: Conium maculatum; ru: Болиголов пятнистый; scn: Cicuta; sco: Conium maculatum; sk: Bolehlav škvrnitý; sl: Pikasti mišjak; sq: Kakuda; sr: Кукута; sv: Odört; tr: Baldıran; uk: Болиголов плямистий; uz: Zangpoya; vep: Omeghein; vi: Sâm độc; war: Conium maculatum; zh: 毒参

Gallery

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  Poison hemlock

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  Conium maculatum in Chino, California

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  Hemlock seed heads in late summer

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  The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (1787)