bezoar Meaning, Definition & Usage

F. bézoard, fr. Ar. bazahr, badizahr, fr. Per. pad-zahr bezoar; pad protecting + zahr poison; cf. Pg. & Sp. bezoar.

A calculous concretion found in the intestines of certain ruminant animals (as the wild goat, the gazelle, and the Peruvian llama) formerly regarded as an unfailing antidote for poison, and a certain remedy for eruptive, pestilential, or putrid diseases. Hence: Any antidote or panacea. ✍ Two kinds were particularly esteemed, the Bezoar orientale of India, and the Bezoar occidentale of Peru. Ure.