bdellium

American  

[del-ee-uhm, -yuhm] / ˈdɛl i əm, -yəm /

noun

1. a fragrant gum resin obtained from certain plants of the genus Commiphora, family Burseraceae, especially the sub-Saharan trees C. africana and C. wightii.

2. a plant yielding a fragrant gum resin.

3. a substance mentioned in the Bible.

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bdellium British  

/ ˈdɛlɪəm /

noun

1. any of several African or W Asian trees of the burseraceous genus Commiphora that yield a gum resin

2. the aromatic gum resin, similar to myrrh, produced by any of these trees

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Etymology

Origin of bdellium

From Latin, from Greek bdéllion, probably from a Semitic word akin to Hebrew bedhōlah, the name of a fragrant yellowish transparent gum

Example Sentences

Of nouns in um, some have no need of the plural; as, bdellium, decorum, elysium, equilibrium, guaiacum, laudanum, odium, opium, petroleum, serum, viaticum.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

Never has river wave had such curve and sheen and bank as adorned the Pison, the Havilah, the Gihon, and the Hiddakel, even the pebbles being bdellium and onyx stone!

From The Wedding Ring A Series of Discourses for Husbands and Wives and Those Contemplating Matrimony by Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)

They were brimful of myrobalan, bdellium, saffron, and violets.

From Salammbo by Flaubert, Gustave

A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa. µ Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb?rghii.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

This contains litharge, bdellium, and "green brasse," but no loadstone.

From On the magnet, magnetick bodies also, and on the great magnet the earth a new physiology, demonstrated by many arguments & experiments by Gilbert, William