Definition of Ordeal bean. Meaning of Ordeal bean. Synonyms of Ordeal bean

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Definition of Ordeal bean

Ordeal bean
Ordeal Or"de*al ([^o]r"d[-e]*al), n. [AS. ord[=a]l, ord[=ae]l, a judgment; akin to D. oordeel, G. urteil, urtheil; orig., what is dealt out, the prefix or- being akin to [=a]- compounded with verbs, G. er-, ur-, Goth. us-, orig. meaning, out. See Deal, v. & n., and cf. Arise, Ort.] 1. An ancient form of test to determine guilt or innocence, by appealing to a supernatural decision, -- once common in Europe, and still practiced in the East and by savage tribes. Note: In England ordeal by fire and ordeal by water were used, the former confined to persons of rank, the latter to the common people. The ordeal by fire was performed, either by handling red-hot iron, or by walking barefoot and blindfold over red-hot plowshares, laid at unequal distances. If the person escaped unhurt, he was adjudged innocent; otherwise he was condemned as guilty. The ordeal by water was performed, either by plunging the bare arm to the elbow in boiling water, an escape from injury being taken as proof of innocence, or by casting the accused person, bound hand and foot, into a river or pond, when if he floated it was an evidence of guilt, but if he sunk he was acquitted. It is probable that the proverbial phrase, to go through fire and water, denoting severe trial or danger, is derived from the ordeal. See Wager of battle, under Wager. 2. Any severe trial, or test; a painful experience. Ordeal bean. (Bot.) See Calabar bean, under Calabar. Ordeal root (Bot.) the root of a species of Strychnos growing in West Africa, used, like the ordeal bean, in trials for witchcraft. Ordeal tree (Bot.), a poisonous tree of Madagascar (Tanghinia, or Cerbera, venenata). Persons suspected of crime are forced to eat the seeds of the plumlike fruit, and criminals are put to death by being pricked with a lance dipped in the juice of the seeds.
ordeal bean
Calabar Cal"a*bar, n. A district on the west coast of Africa. Calabar bean, The of a climbing legumious plant (Physostigma venenosum), a native of tropical Africa. It is highly poisonous. It is used to produce contraction of the pupil of the eye; also in tetanus, neuralgia, and rheumatic diseases; -- called also ordeal bean, being used by the negroes in trials for witchcraft.

Meaning of Ordeal bean from wikipedia

- Physostigma venenosum, the Calabar bean or ordeal bean, is a leguminous plant, Endemic to tropical Africa, with a seed poisonous to humans. It derives...
- Trial by ordeal was an ancient judicial practice by which the guilt or innocence of the accused (called a "proband") was determined by subjecting them...
- active ingredient in the Calabar bean. The Calabar bean, or chopping nut, was very prevalent in Efik culture as an ordeal poison. Individuals accused of...
- already eaten a large breakfast, were smiling and laughing throughout the ordeal, and that she had had access to other snacks. He also apologized for the...
- northern Mexico. Members of the genus are commonly known as mescalbean, mescal bean, or frijolito. One of the common names of Dermatophyllum secundiflorum is...
- Fraser, T.R. On the Characters, Actions and Therapeutic Uses of the Ordeal Bean of Calabar, Edin. Med. Journal 9 (1863), pp. 36–56. 123–132, 235–248...
- the island of Madagascar, Cerbera manghas was used in tangena trials by ordeal to test suspected criminals and witches. Poison from nuts of the plant would...
- bastion of Thiepval from the rear. The Australian official historian Charles Bean wrote that Pozières ridge "is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice...
- PMID 128455. Wedin, GP; Neal, JS; Everson, GW; Krenzelok, EP (May 1986). "Castor bean poisoning". The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 4 (3): 259–261. doi:10...
- Cathy Bao Bean (Chinese: 包圭漪; pinyin: Bāo Guīyī; Wade–Giles: Pao Kuei-i) is a Chinese-American writer and educator, and is the author of The Chopsticks-Fork...