bezoar

noun

be·​zoar ˈbē-ˌzȯr 

: any of various calculi found chiefly in the gastrointestinal organs and formerly believed to possess magical properties

called also bezoar stone

Examples of bezoar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gender, symptom duration, size of bezoar and method of cola administration were not significantly different between the two groups. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2013

The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate how an obstructing bezoar caused an appendicitis-like syndrome in a patient with negative CT scan and clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2017

The pendant is backed with an Indian bezoar stone, famous in Europe for its healing properties. —Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 July 2022

The wild ancestor of today’s domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus), the bezoar (C. aegagrus), was their primary prey. —Michael Price, Science | AAAS, 7 June 2021

Early modern royals acquired exotic natural artifacts such as bezoars—digestive stones produced in the intestines of large ruminants and believed to possess healing qualities. —Andrew Katzenstein, The New York Review of Books, 25 Nov. 2019

No scientific evidence exists for any curative properties of bezoars. —Peter Yeung, National Geographic, 22 Mar. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Medieval Latin, from Arabic dialect bezuwār, from Arabic bāzahr, from Persian pād-zahr, from pād protecting (against) + zahr poison

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

bezoar

noun

be·​zoar ˈbē-ˌzō(ə)r, -ˌzȯ(ə)r 

: any of various calculi found in the gastrointestinal organs especially of ruminants

called also bezoar stone