Mergen
Mergen arabice corallus ut liber de doctrina arabica quod et based vocant.
Apparatus:
corallus (-llus f) AC ef | coralus B
arabica f | ara. AC | ar B | greca e
quod C | quod AB f | que e
based ABC | besed e | baset f
Translation:
Mergen is Arabic for Latin corallus ("coral"} as stated in the liber de doctrina arabica and "coral" is also called based in Arabic.
Commentary:
Simon's often quoted source, the Liber de doctrina arabica, has so far not been identified, but cf. what must be a similar glossary/dictionary - Vocabulista - ed. Schiaparelli, (1871: 183): ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻧﺔ /marğāna/ Corallus [[1]]; (1871: 320): CORALLUS ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻧﺔ ﺍﺕ ﻭﻣﺮﺍﺟﻦ ﻭﻣﺮﺟﺎﻥ /marğāna ~āt wa-marāğin wa-marğān/ [[2]].
Cf. Corriente (1989: 282) s.v. *MRJN, who in accord with Dozy derives this word from Aramaic and Syriac, >margānīṯā< or Rabbinic >margelā<.
Dozy (1877-81: II.578-9): ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻥ /marğān/ vulg. ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻥ /murğān/ … perle … puis corail {"pearl … and then coral"} with Vocabulista as his source.
Cf. Wehr (1976): ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻥ /marğān, murğān/ "small pearls; corals"; Siggel (1950: 67): ﻣﺮﺟﺎﻥ /marğān/ Perle, Koralle {i.e. "pearl; coral"}.
Siggel (1950: 20): ﺑﺴﺪ /bussad/ "Koralle" {i.e. "coral"}.
WilfGunther 08/07/14
See also: Based, Besed, Busadum, Lithodendron