bdellium
/ˈdɛ.li.əm/ noun
Forms bdelliums
- noun An aromatic gum-like balsam extracted from one of several species of tree in the genus Commiphora.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin bdellium, from Ancient Greek βδέλλιον (bdéllion), itself perhaps from Hebrew בְּדֹלַח (bdólakh), cognate with Akkadian 𒁉𒁺𒌨𒄷 (bidurḫu) or from Sanskrit भिदुर (bhidura, “something brittle, fragile, easily split or broken”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.
- noun A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.
Etymology [L., fr. Gr. ; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bdellium”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details