abelmosk

abelmosk

English

The edible seed pod of the abelmosk plant was once prized as a source of musk

An abelmosk plant with yellow blossoms; others may have red flowers

Alternative forms

• abelmusk, abelmosch (obsolete)

Etymology

From New Latin abelmoschus, from Arabic حَبّ الْمِسْك‎ (ḥabb al-misk, “pills of musk”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪbəlmɒsk/, /ˈeɪblmɒsk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪbəlˌmɑsk/, /ˈeɪblmɑsk/

• Audio (CA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪbəlmɒsk, -eɪblmɒsk, -eɪbəlmɑsk, -eɪblmɑsk

Noun

abelmosk (countable and uncountable, plural abelmosks)

1. The edible and aromatic seed pods (properly, capsules) of the Abelmoschus moschatus.
   • 1719, translating Joseph Pitton de Tournefort as The Compleat Herbal, Vol. I, p. 70:

     Egyptian Ketmia, with a perfumed or Musk-Seed..., called Abelmosch of Morison.

   • 1892, Carl Deite translating William Theodore Brannt as A Practical Treatise on the Manufacture of Perfumery, p. 230:

     Abelmosk grains are the seeds of a plant... indigenous to Central Africa, Arabia, and India.

2. The tropical evergreen shrub Abelmoschus moschatus itself.
   • 1846, W. M. Buchanan, A Technological Dictionary, p. 4:

     Abelmosk, Abelmosch, or Abelmusk, the Syrian mallow, or musk okro, a species of hibiscus (H. abelmoschus).

   • 1992, Richard A. Spears in Language & Civilization, Vol. I, p. 43:

     The same description fits abelmosk, the Hibiscus abelmoshus, better known to the world as the East Indian dwarf okra plant.

3. (uncommon, usually in the plural) Other members of the genus Abelmoschus, such as okra.

Usage notes

Formerly considered a species of hibiscus, but since distinguished as part of a separate genus.

Synonyms

• (A. moschatus): annual hibiscus, tropical jewel hibiscus (dated); ambrette, muskdana, musk mallow, musk okra, ornamental okra, rose mallow, Yorka okra, musk seed

Translations

A. moschatus

Bulgarian: мускусен слез (muskusen slez) Chinese: Mandarin: 黄葵 (huángkuí), 麝香槿 (shèxiāngjǐn), 香葵 (xiāngkuí) Dutch: abelmos m French: ambrette (fr) f German: Abelmoschus (de) m Italian: abelmosco m Norwegian: Bokmål: abelmoskus m Portuguese: abelmosco m Spanish: abelmosco (es) m Tagalog: kastuli

References

• Abelmoschus moschatus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Abelmoschus moschatus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• “abelmosk, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Anagrams

• smokable