from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
bdellium \bdel"lium\, n. [L., fr. Gr. bde`llion; 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.
[1913 Webster]
2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India,
Persia, and Africa.
[1913 Webster]
Note: {Indian bdellium} or {false myrrh} is an exudation from
{Balsamodendron Roxburghii}. Other kinds are known as
{African bdellium}, {Sicilian bdellium}, etc.
[1913 Webster]