بيلسان

Arabic

رَاتِينَج بلَسَان (*Commiphora guidottii*)

Alternative forms

بَلَسَان (balasān), بَلْسَم (balsam), بِلْسَام (bilsām)
بَشَام (bašām)

Etymology

The form بَشَام (bašām) belongs to the root ب ش م (b-š-m) with meanings related to indigestion, nausea, disgust. Via the idea of luxury, abundance, and indulgence; to overeat, over-indulge, to be surfeit, this compares to the contronymic significance of the root associated with Arabic طَلْح (ṭalḥ, “Vachellia”).

Compare Hebrew בְּשָׂם (bəśām), בָּשָׂם (bāśām), בֶּשֶׂם (beśem, “sweet spice or smell”), בֹּשֶׂם (bṓśem, “scent”), Classical Syriac ܒܣܡܐ (besāmā, “sweetness”), ܒܘܣܡܐ (bussemā, “delight, abundance”), ܒܣܡܐ (besmā, “scent”), other Aramaic בֻּשְׂםָא (buśmā) / בֻּסְםָא (busmā, “sweet spice or smell”), related to a profuse root ב־ס־מ / ܒ-ܣ-ܡ (b-s-m) forming meanings concerning sweetness, joy, pleasure, and also feasting.

Such meanings root in a plant name, Proto-Iranian *hampr̥sā (“juniper”), possibly borrowed early into Arabic بَشَام (bašām) from Hebrew בָּשָׂם (bāśām), while all other forms of this Arabic plant name are from Ancient Greek βάλσαμον (bálsamon).

Noun

بَيْلَسَان • (baylasān) m

Commiphora gen. et spp., syns. Balsamodendron, Balsamea
Impatiens gen. et spp.
Sambucus nigra (black elder, tree and fruit)
Myroxylon, especially Myroxylon balsamum

Declension

Declension of noun بَيْلَسَان (baylasān)

Singular	basic singular triptote
Singular	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَيْلَسَان baylasān	الْبَيْلَسَان al-baylasān	بَيْلَسَان baylasān
Nominative	بَيْلَسَانٌ baylasānun	الْبَيْلَسَانُ al-baylasānu	بَيْلَسَانُ baylasānu
Accusative	بَيْلَسَانًا baylasānan	الْبَيْلَسَانَ al-baylasāna	بَيْلَسَانَ baylasāna
Genitive	بَيْلَسَانٍ baylasānin	الْبَيْلَسَانِ al-baylasāni	بَيْلَسَانِ baylasāni

Descendants

→ Amharic: በለሳን (bäläsan)
→ Old Armenian: բալասան (balasan)
→ Middle Armenian: պալասան (palasan)
→ Ge'ez: በለሳን (bäläsan), በልሳን (bälsan), በለሶን (bäläson)
→ Somali: bilsin
→ Tigrinya: በለሳን (bäläsan)

References

“bsm”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
“bsm”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
Freytag, Georg (1830) “بشام”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 1, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 126
Freytag, Georg (1830) “بيلسان”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[2] (in Latin), volume 1, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 152
Lane, Edward William (1863) “بشام”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[3], London: Williams & Norgate, page 209
Lane, Edward William (1863) “بيلسان”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[4], London: Williams & Norgate, page 248
Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 97
Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “بيلسان”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[5] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 108