βάλσαμον

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

βᾰ́ρσᾰμον (bắrsămon), πᾰ́λσᾰμον (pắlsămon), πᾰ́ρσᾰμον (pắrsămon)
βλᾰ́σᾰμον (blắsămon) — poetic

Etymology

Of Semitic origin, borrowed from Hebrew בָּשָׂם (bāśām, “sweet spice, sweet smell”),^[1] the consonant sequence in Greek being explained as an attempt of rendering שׂ (ś) sounding back then [ɬ]; the semantic development may later have been attached to Aramaic and Ancient North Arabian.

Pronunciation

(Attic, etc.):

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bál.sa.mon/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbal.sa.mon/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβal.sa.mon/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈval.sa.mon/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈval.sa.mon/

(poetic):

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /bál.saː.mon/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈbal.sa.mon/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈβal.sa.mon/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈval.sa.mon/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈval.sa.mon/

Noun

βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μον • (bắlsā̆mon) n (genitive βᾰλσᾱ̆́μου); second declension

Arabian balsam tree (Commiphora gileadensis)
balsam, the fragrant oil produced by this tree
costmary (Tanacetum balsamita)

Declension

Second declension of τὸ βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μον; τοῦ βᾰλσᾱ̆́μου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	τὸ βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μον tò bắlsā̆mon	τὼ βᾰλσᾱ̆́μω tṑ bălsā̆́mō	τᾰ̀ βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μᾰ tằ bắlsā̆mă
Genitive	τοῦ βᾰλσᾱ̆́μου toû bălsā̆́mou	τοῖν βᾰλσᾱ̆́μοιν toîn bălsā̆́moin	τῶν βᾰλσᾱ̆́μων tôn bălsā̆́mōn
Dative	τῷ βᾰλσᾱ̆́μῳ tōî bălsā̆́mōi	τοῖν βᾰλσᾱ̆́μοιν toîn bălsā̆́moin	τοῖς βᾰλσᾱ̆́μοις toîs bălsā̆́mois
Accusative	τὸ βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μον tò bắlsā̆mon	τὼ βᾰλσᾱ̆́μω tṑ bălsā̆́mō	τᾰ̀ βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μᾰ tằ bắlsā̆mă
Vocative	βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μον bắlsā̆mon	βᾰλσᾱ̆́μω bălsā̆́mō	βᾰ́λσᾱ̆μᾰ bắlsā̆mă
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

βᾰλσᾰμέλαιον (bălsămélaion)
βᾰλσᾰμῐ́νη (bălsămĭ́nē)
βᾰλσᾰμῶδες (bălsămôdes)
ξῠλοβᾰ́λσᾰμον (xŭlobắlsămon)
ὀποβᾰ́λσᾰμον (opobắlsămon)

Descendants

→ Arabic: بَيْلَسان (baylasān), بَلَسَان (balasān), بَلْسَم (balsam), بِلْسَام (bilsām), بَشَام (bašām)
- → Amharic: በለሳን (bäläsan)
- → Old Armenian: բալասան (balasan)
- → Middle Armenian: պալասան (palasan)
- → Ge'ez: በለሳን (bäläsan), በልሳን (bälsan), በለሶን (bäläson)
- → Somali: bilsin
- → Tigrinya: በለሳን (bäläsan)
→ Aramaic:
Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: בלזמה, בלסנה

Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: בלסמון

Classical Syriac: ܒܠܣܡܘܢ, ܒܠܣܝܡܘܢ, ܒܐܠܣܡܘܢ
→ Latin: balsamum (see there for further descendants)
→ Old Armenian: բաղսամոն (bałsamon)
→ Old Georgian: ბარსაბონი (barsaboni)

References

^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “βάλσαμον”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 198-9