Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hellebore \Hel"le*bore\, n. [L. helleborus, elleborus, Gr. ?, ?;
   cf. F. hell['e]bore, ell['e]bore.]
   1. (Bot.) A genus of perennial herbs ({Helleborus}) of the
      Crowfoot family, mostly having powerfully cathartic and
      even poisonous qualities. {H. niger} is the European black
      hellebore, or Christmas rose, blossoming in winter or
      earliest spring. {H. officinalis} was the officinal
      hellebore of the ancients.

   2. (Bot.) Any plant of several species of the poisonous
      liliaceous genus {Veratrum}, especially {V. album} and {V.
      viride}, both called {white hellebore}.