sebesten

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin sebesten, from Arabic سِبِسْتَان (sibistān), from Persian سگ‌پستان (sag-pestân, literally “dog teat”), from سگ (sag, “dog”) +‎ پستان (pestân, “teat”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /sɪˈbɛs.tən/

Noun

sebesten (plural sebestens)

1. A medium-sized deciduous tree of species Cordia myxa or, less often, Cordia latifolia, Cordia sebestena, or other species in the genus Cordia, the wood of which is used for furniture and musical instruments.
   • 1640, John Parkinson, Theatrum Botanicum, London: Thomas Cotes, page 252:

     2. Sebesten sylvestris. The wilde Sebesten.
     The wild Sebesten is in all things like the other, but that it groweth lower, more like unto a hedge bush, and with lesser and thinner leaves; the flowers and fruit are alike but lesse.

2. The mucilaginous drupaceous fruit from these plants, eaten and used medicinally against pectoral diseases, also in a mixture called diasebesten, and for glue.

Synonyms

• Assyrian plum, lasora, lasura

References

• sebesten on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Cordia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Cordia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons