Wiktionary

agarwood

English edit

Etymology edit

agar +‎ wood. The element agar is ultimately from Dravidian,[1] probably Tamil அகில் (akil).[2]

Noun edit

agarwood (countable and uncountable, plural agarwoods)

  1. Heartwood from trees of genus Aquilaria, especially Aquilaria malaccensis (syn. A. agallocha), infected with mold (Phialophora parasitica), which produce an aromatic resin in response to this infestation.

Synonyms edit

Translations edit

References edit

  1. ^ Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “agaru”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
  2. ^ Shulman, David (2016) Tamil: A biography, Harvard University Press, pages 19-20:
    We have ahalim [in Hebrew], probably derived directly from Tamil akil rather than from Sanskrit aguru, itself a loan from the Tamil (Numbers 24.8; Proverbs 7.17; Song of Songs 4.14; Psalms 45.9--the latter two instances with the feminine plural form ahalot. Akil is, we think, native to South India, and it is thus not surprising that the word was borrowed by cultures that imported this plant.
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