# mandrake

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmændɹeɪk/ · frequency rank #47,743

## Definitions
1. Any plant of the genus Mandragora, certain of which are said to have medicinal or aphrodisiac properties; the root of these plants often resembles the shape of a small person, hence occasioning various mythic, magical, or occult uses.
2. A root of a mandrake plant that resembled human form, especially one kept or used for magic or occult purposes.
3. The drug methaqualone.
4. A kind of tiny demon immune to fire.

## Etymology
From Middle English mandrake, mandroke, an alteration of mandragora with the ending -dragora reinterpreted as related to dragon and replaced with native drake, from Old English mandragora, from Medieval Latin mandragorās, from Ancient Greek μανδραγόρας (mandragóras).

## Easily confused with
- **mandate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mandate-vs-mandrake)

## Common misspellings (12)
`amndrake`, `madnrake`, `mandarke`, `manddrake`, `mandraek`, `mandrakke`, `mandrkae`, `mandrrake`, `manndrake`, `manrdake`, `mmandrake`, `mnadrake`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mandrake