What does bdellium mean?
Definitions for bdellium
ˈdɛl i əm, -yəmbdel·li·um
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word bdellium.
Princeton's WordNet
bdelliumnoun
aromatic gum resin; similar to myrrh
Wiktionary
bdelliumnoun
Probably an aromatic gum like balsam that was exuded from a tree, probably one of several species in the genus Commiphora.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
BDELLIUMnoun
An aromatick gum brought from the Levant, used as a medicine and a perfume. Bdellium is mentioned both by the ancient naturalists and in scripture; but it is doubtful whether any of these be the same with the modern kind. Ephraim Chambers
Etymology: βδελλιον; בךלה.
This bdellium is a tree of the bigness of an olive, whereof Arabia hath great plenty, which yieldeth a certain gum, sweet to smell to, but bitter in taste, called also bdellium. The Hebrews take the loadstone for bdellium. Walter Raleigh, History.
Wikipedia
Bdellium
Bdellium (also bdellion or false myrrh) is a semi-transparent oleo-gum resin extracted from Commiphora wightii plants of India, and from Commiphora africana trees growing in sub-saharan Africa. According to Pliny the best quality came from Bactria. Other named sources for the resin are India, Arabia, Media, and Babylon.
ChatGPT
bdellium
Bdellium is a fragrant natural gum resin extracted from certain trees like Commiphora wightii and Commiphora africana, found in Africa and Asia. It is generally yellowish or reddish-brown and is used in perfumery and incense. The term is also mentioned in the Bible, often in relation with the manna found in the desert by the Israelites.
Webster Dictionary
Bdelliumnoun
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
Bdelliumnoun
a gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa
Wikidata
Bdellium
Bdellium, also bdellion, is an aromatic gum like myrrh that is exuded from a tree. An Arab writer first made the identification with gum guggul, the species Commiphora wightii, although "bdellium" has also been used to identify the African species Commiphora africana and at least one other Indian species, C. stocksiana. Bdellium was an adulterant of the more costly myrrh; guggul is still used as a binder in perfumes. The word bedolach occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible. The first is in Genesis 2:12, where it is described as a product of the land of Havilah; the context has led some readers to link bedolach with pearls or other precious stones. Bdellium is mentioned once again, as something familiar, in Numbers 11:7, where manna is compared to it in color: Bdellium appears in a number of ancient sources. In Akkadian, it was known as budulhu, in Sanskrit gulgulu. Theophrastus is perhaps the first classical author to mention it, if the report that came back from his informant in Alexander's expedition refers to Commiphora wightii: "In the region called Aria there is a thorn tree which produces a tear of resin, resembling myrrh in appearance and odour. It liquifies when the sun shines upon it." Plautus in his play Curculio refers to it. Pliny the Elder describes the best bdellium coming from Bactria as a "tree black in colour, and the size of the olive tree; its leaf resembles that of the oak and its fruit the wild fig", but his descriptions seem to cover a range of strongly perfumed resins. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, of the 2nd century CE, reports that bdella are exported from the port of Barbarice at the mouth of the Indus. In China, bdellium, known as an hsi hsiang or "Parthian aromatic", was among the varieties of incense that reached China either along the Silk Route from Central Asia, or by sea. Later an hsi hsiang was applied to an East Indian substitute, gum benzoin from Sumatra.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Bdellium
del′i-um, n. a kind of gum. [Gr. bdellion, used to translate, but prob. unconnected with Heb. b'dōlakh, Gen. ii. 12.]
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1708","1"],["1724","1"],["1744","1"],["1759","2"],["1762","1"],["1764","2"],["1766","1"],["1773","4"],["1774","1"],["1775","9"],["1781","10"],["1783","1"],["1784","13"],["1786","1"],["1787","1"],["1791","4"],["1792","7"],["1794","6"],["1795","5"],["1796","1"],["1798","4"],["1799","2"],["1800","2"],["1801","17"],["1802","6"],["1803","8"],["1804","4"],["1805","12"],["1806","3"],["1807","4"],["1808","2"],["1809","14"],["1810","7"],["1811","11"],["1812","14"],["1813","3"],["1814","18"],["1815","6"],["1816","7"],["1817","7"],["1818","4"],["1819","30"],["1820","25"],["1821","10"],["1822","36"],["1823","3"],["1824","29"],["1825","36"],["1826","48"],["1827","4"],["1828","8"],["1829","37"],["1830","23"],["1831","18"],["1832","19"],["1833","9"],["1834","17"],["1835","17"],["1836","14"],["1837","28"],["1838","8"],["1839","6"],["1840","24"],["1841","13"],["1842","15"],["1843","22"],["1844","59"],["1845","8"],["1846","30"],["1847","51"],["1848","13"],["1849","7"],["1850","32"],["1851","15"],["1852","20"],["1853","21"],["1854","20"],["1855","24"],["1856","18"],["1857","8"],["1858","19"],["1859","32"],["1860","25"],["1861","20"],["1862","12"],["1863","21"],["1864","18"],["1865","15"],["1866","51"],["1867","24"],["1868","10"],["1869","8"],["1870","25"],["1871","14"],["1872","19"],["1873","33"],["1875","2"],["1876","8"],["1877","37"],["1878","42"],["1879","28"],["1880","19"],["1881","26"],["1882","26"],["1883","23"],["1884","16"],["1885","39"],["1886","23"],["1887","27"],["1888","22"],["1889","23"],["1890","30"],["1891","29"],["1892","44"],["1893","25"],["1894","26"],["1895","22"],["1896","28"],["1897","24"],["1898","13"],["1899","64"],["1900","17"],["1901","113"],["1902","43"],["1903","25"],["1904","24"],["1905","25"],["1906","72"],["1907","54"],["1908","25"],["1909","28"],["1910","47"],["1911","20"],["1912","114"],["1913","18"],["1914","6"],["1915","23"],["1916","11"],["1917","9"],["1918","11"],["1919","12"],["1920","62"],["1921","15"],["1922","5"],["1923","5"],["1924","18"],["1925","70"],["1926","22"],["1927","22"],["1928","9"],["1929","22"],["1930","29"],["1931","18"],["1932","19"],["1933","23"],["1934","11"],["1935","27"],["1936","25"],["1937","14"],["1938","5"],["1939","19"],["1940","9"],["1941","9"],["1942","16"],["1943","13"],["1944","2"],["1945","16"],["1946","7"],["1947","9"],["1948","20"],["1949","25"],["1950","19"],["1951","17"],["1952","23"],["1953","11"],["1954","24"],["1955","18"],["1956","42"],["1957","15"],["1958","27"],["1959","28"],["1960","38"],["1961","50"],["1962","14"],["1963","41"],["1964","36"],["1965","33"],["1966","56"],["1967","135"],["1968","42"],["1969","81"],["1970","53"],["1971","85"],["1972","85"],["1973","84"],["1974","33"],["1975","48"],["1976","37"],["1977","58"],["1978","34"],["1979","48"],["1980","26"],["1981","68"],["1982","37"],["1983","57"],["1984","70"],["1985","47"],["1986","100"],["1987","60"],["1988","62"],["1989","88"],["1990","71"],["1991","27"],["1992","75"],["1993","48"],["1994","73"],["1995","85"],["1996","85"],["1997","128"],["1998","117"],["1999","136"],["2000","181"],["2001","105"],["2002","131"],["2003","174"],["2004","264"],["2005","214"],["2006","256"],["2007","246"],["2008","289"]]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of bdellium in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of bdellium in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
References
Translations for bdellium
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
Get even more translations for bdellium »
Translation
Find a translation for the bdellium definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"bdellium." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/bdellium>.
Discuss these bdellium definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In