Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
BDELLIUM
bdellium
(noun) aromatic gum resin; similar to myrrh
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
bdellium (countable and uncountable, plural bdelliums)
Probably an aromatic gum like balsam that was exuded from a tree, probably one of several species in the genus Commiphora.
Source: Wiktionary
Bdel"lium, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. ; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).]
1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.
2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.
Note: Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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