bezoar

[ bee-zawr, -zohr ]

/ ˈbi zɔr, -zoʊr /

Save This Word!

noun

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, especially ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

Obsolete. a counterpoison or antidote.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bezoar

1470–80; earlier bezear<Medieval Latin bezahar<Arabic bā(di)zahr<Persian pād-zahr counterpoison; -o-<New Latin

Words nearby bezoar

bezant, bez antler, bezel, Béziers, bezique, bezoar, bezonian, Bezwada, bf, B.F.A., B.F.A.Mus.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bezoar in a sentence

The researchers dubbed these plastic masses “polybezoars” to distinguish them from naturally occurring hair and plant fiber bezoars.
Plastic waste forms huge, deadly masses in camel guts|Asher Jones|December 15, 2020|Science News
These large apes are the ouanderou and the douc; to them, therefore, we must refer the production of the bezoar.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
The oldest domesticated goats seem to be descended from the Bezoar goat (Capra ægagrus), from the mountains of southwestern Asia.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
Other magic medicines exist such as aphrodisiacs, and bezoar stones.
The Manbos of Mindano|John M. Garvan

In one case a midwife claimed to have a bezoar stone17 found in the body of an eel.
The Manbos of Mindano|John M. Garvan
Bezoar stones are hard substances, of a dark color, and vary in size from a pea to a chestnut.
The Manbos of Mindano|John M. Garvan

British Dictionary definitions for bezoar

bezoar

/ (ˈbiːzɔː) /

noun

a hard mass, such as a stone or hairball, in the stomach and intestines of animals, esp ruminants, and man: formerly thought to be an antidote to poisons

Word Origin for bezoar

C15: from Old French bézoard, from Arabic bāzahr, from Persian bādzahr, from bād against + zahr poison

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012