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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Balsamodendron Roxburghii

bdellium \bdel"lium\, n. [L., fr. Gr. bde`llion; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).]

  1. 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.

  2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.

    Note: Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxburghii. Other kinds are known as African bdellium, Sicilian bdellium, etc. [1913 Webster] ||