bezoar

Where does the word "bezoar" come from? It comes from Persian pad-zahr, passing through Arabic and Medieval Latin before entering English (1540s).

Bezoar’s story begins in Persian: pad-zahr meant “counter-poison.” Compound of pad, "protecting," and zahr, "poison". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Arabic as bazahr. Passed the remedy and its name into Arabic medicine. From there it passed into Medieval Latin as bezoar by medieval. Entered European pharmacology through translated Arabic medical texts. It reached English by 1540s as bezoar. Later applied to hard masses found in animal stomachs believed to neutralize poison. Today, bezoar means a hard mass found in the stomach or intestines of an animal, once believed to be an antidote to poison.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval pad-zahr "counter-poison", compound of pad, "protecting," and zahr, "poison".
2. Stage 2 · Arabic · medieval bazahr "antidote stone", passed the remedy and its name into Arabic medicine.
3. Stage 3 · Medieval Latin · medieval bezoar "stone antidote against poison", entered European pharmacology through translated Arabic medical texts.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1540s bezoar "stomach stone antidote", later applied to hard masses found in animal stomachs believed to neutralize poison.