Word of the Day
Bezoar (noun)
Pronunciation: ['bee-zor or bê-'zor]
Definition: A concretion or calculus formed around a foreign object or substance found in the stomachs of some animals, especially ruminants and occasionally in humans. Historically, they have been perceived as an antitoxin to counteract the effects of poison.
Usage: You probably never suspected your cat's hairballs of magical powers. However, this is the sort of thing a bezoar is, except a bezoar solidifies into something more like a kidney stone. The adjective, "bezoardic" (don't forget the [d]), is also used as a noun, referring to any substance serving as an antidote for poison.
Suggested Usage: Well, you probably wouldn't want to whisper, "I'm the bezoar of all the disappointments in your love-life," over candlelight to someone you really like, just in case she knows where bezoars come from. A better use would be to suggest that the dumpling you just ate is lying in your stomach like an inert bezoar (less its magical powers). You might want to try, "I am the bezoardic of all your problems!" as a last gasp on a job interview circling the drain, on the off-chance personnel director subscribes to our Word of the Day.
Etymology: Today's word has come a long way to English. English borrowed it from Old French bezahar via Medieval Latin lapis bezoarticus "antitoxin stone" from Arabic bAzahr, which borrowed it from Persian pAdzahr: pAd- "protecting (against)" + zahr "poison." Persian pAd- derives from the same root as English "food," "pasture," and "foster" (nurture, nourish).
–Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
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