بلاذر

Arabic

Etymology

From Middle Persian [script needed] (bldwr, bltdwr, bltwr /baladūr/), whence also Persian ‎ (balâdur), Classical Syriac ܒܠܕܘܪ‎ (ḇalāḏūr), ܒܠܬܕܘܪ‎ (ḇalāṯdūr), ܒܠܬܘܪ‎ (ḇalāṯūr), Hebrew בלאדור / בלדור‎ (ḇalāḏūr) (or בלאזור / בלזור (ḇalāzūr), but likely this is a misreading), Middle Armenian պալատուր (palatur), Georgian ბალადური (baladuri). The Iranian term is an Indian borrowing, Sanskrit भल्लात (bhallāta), भल्लातक (bhallātaka, “marking-nut plant”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ba.laː.ður/ and IPA^(key): /ba.laː.ðir/

Noun

بَلاذُر or بَلاذِر • (balāḏur or balāḏir) m

Malacca-bean, marking-nut (Semecarpus anacardium), harvest and tree)
cashew (Anacardium gen. et spp. harvest and tree)

Usage notes

The marking-nut’s juice, apart from being used for dying clothes, was consumed in the Middle Ages, by Muslims and Jews, because one believed that it improves memory. However the hot and dry fruit, also employed against cold diseases and because of its heart shape against heart conditions – called fructus Anacardii orientalis by pharmacologists –, wreaks delirium and paralysis, and the 9^th-century historian البلاذري (al-Balāḏuriyy) has died from drinking too much of it, hence his name. There was a pisgam for students: חזור חזור ואל תצטריך לבלאדור (hăzōr hăzōr wə-ʾal tiṣṭārēḵ lə-ḇalāḏūr, “repeat, repeat, and you will not rely on marking-nut!”)
The cashew-nut is a well-known ingredient of cuisine in the Modern Age, its genus Anacardium being only introduced from the New World.

بلاذر

Declension

Declension of noun بَلاذُر (balāḏur)‎; بَلاذِر (balāḏir)

Singular	basic singular triptote‎; basic singular diptote
Singular	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلاذُر‎; بَلاذِر balāḏur‎; balāḏir	الْبَلاذُر‎‎; الْبَلاذِر‎ al-balāḏur‎; al-balāḏir	بَلاذُر‎; بَلاذِر balāḏur‎; balāḏir
Nominative	بَلاذُرٌ‎; بَلاذِرُ balāḏurun‎; balāḏiru	الْبَلاذُرُ‎‎; الْبَلاذِرُ‎ al-balāḏuru‎; al-balāḏiru	بَلاذُرُ‎; بَلاذِرُ balāḏuru‎; balāḏiru
Accusative	بَلاذُرًا‎‎; بَلاذِرَ balāḏuran‎; balāḏira	الْبَلاذُرَ‎‎; الْبَلاذِرَ‎ al-balāḏura‎; al-balāḏira	بَلاذُرَ‎; بَلاذِرَ balāḏura‎; balāḏira
Genitive	بَلاذُرٍ‎; بَلاذِرَ balāḏurin‎; balāḏira	الْبَلاذُرِ‎‎; الْبَلاذِرِ‎ al-balāḏuri‎; al-balāḏiri	بَلاذُرِ‎; بَلاذِرِ balāḏuri‎; balāḏiri

References

“بلاذر” in Almaany
“bldwr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
بلاذراوية on the Arabic Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^ar
Brodt, Eliezer (2007-08-31), “In search of memory: towards an understanding of the Baladhur”, in The Seforim Blog ^{PDF OAI}‎
Laufer, Berthold (1919) Sino-Iranica: Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated plants and products (Fieldiana, Anthropology; 15), volume 3, Chicago: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, page 482
Löw, Immanuel (1928) Die Flora der Juden‎ (in German), volume 1, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, pages 202–204