Bulot
Bulot arabice glans et secundum eos castanea et est species eius.
Apparatus:
Bulot ABC e | Bullot f
species (spe͡s AB) eius (eius f) ABC f | eius spe͡s e
Translation:
Bulot is Arabic for Latin glans {"acorn"}, and according to the Arabs the castanea {"chestnut"} is also a kind of acorn.
Commentary:
Wehr: ﺑﻠﻮﻄ /ballūṭ/ "oak, acorn".
A vocalisation closer to Simon’s form Bulot is found in Vocabulista, ed. Schiaparelli (1871: 40): ﺑﻠﻮﻄﺔ /bullūṭa/ Glans, dis [[1]]; ed. Schiaparelli (1871: 408): ﺑﻠﻮﻄﺔ /bullūṭa/, ﺑﻠﻮﻄ /bullūṭ/ GLANS, DIS [[2]].
Dozy (1877-81: I.112): ﺑﻠﻮﻄ /bullauṭ/, le voc. pronounce ﺑﻠﻮﻄ /bullūṭ/ {i.e Vocabulista pronounces /bullūṭ/.} Corriente (1989: 48), s.v. *BLṬ.
Cf. Lane (1984: 249): ﺑﻠﻮﻄ /ballauṭ/ "[The acorn] … [or the oak] …"
Apparently acorn and chestnut were widely believed to be closely related, cf. this statement from the Liber Fundamentorum Pharmacologiae. Auctore Abu Mansur Mowafik ben Ali al herui {i.e. أبو منصور ﻣﻮﻓﻖ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻬﺮﻭﻱ /abū manṣūr muwaffaq ʕaliy al-harawiy/}. ed. Seligmann (1830). [[3]]
(1830: I.37): ﺑﻠﻮﻄ A.{= Arabice} belut – Glans Quercus Ballotae. … Figura glandis similis est dactylo sicco Sejestano, color flavus est. Castanea altera ejus species est, venit ex regionibus Azerbidschan et Arran, dulcior est et tenuior glande, colore rubro, figura rotunda non tamen perfecte rotunda, potius quidquam larga; audivi eam quoque in Syria gigni.
The shape of the acorn is similar to a dried date from Sejestan, its colour is yellow. The chestnut is another kind of acorn, it originates from Azerbaijan and Arran; it is sweeter and more tender than an acorn, of a reddish colour, its round shape is not perfectly round, and somewhat larger. I have heard that it also grows in Syria.
WilfGunther 20:59, 13 September 2014 (BST)
