bezoar

American

[bee-zawr, -zohr] / ˈbi zɔr, -zoʊr /

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.

bezoar British

/ 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of bezoar

First recorded in 1470–80; earlier bezear, from Medieval Latin bezahar, from Arabic bā(di)zahr, from Persian pād-zahr “antidote, counterpoison,” from pād- “protector” + zahr “poison” ( see also bane ( def. ))

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

bezoar

At the championship, they tackled such words as troika, jeremiad, syndrome, vitriol, spinet, bezoar and cynosure.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 27, 2019

I often think of #HarryPotter when I stumble across images in #BHLib like these: Snowy Owl, spiders, bezoar, and mandrake!

From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2017

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn’t have the faintest idea what a bezoar was.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Harry stood there waiting, the bezoar clutched in a slightly sweaty hand.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

“He was a genius, the Prince. Anyway...without his bezoar tip...”

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023