What does bezoar mean?
A bezoar is a hard mass of indigestible material — most commonly swallowed hair, plant fibre, or undigested food — that accumulates in the stomach or intestines of humans or animals. In veterinary and medical contexts, the term is used clinically: a trichobezoar consists mainly of hair, while a phytobezoar is composed of vegetable matter. Bezoars are perhaps best known, however, for their remarkable place in the history of medicine. Stones recovered from the stomachs of ruminants such as goats were traded across Europe and Asia from antiquity through the early modern period, believed to neutralise poisons and cure disease. Elaborately mounted in gold or silver, they adorned royal treasuries and apothecary cabinets alike. Although modern science has thoroughly discredited these claims, the word survives today chiefly in surgical and veterinary literature, where it denotes a genuine clinical condition that may require endoscopic removal or surgery.
A solid mass of indigestible material accumulated in the stomach or intestines.
"A trichobezoar formed after years of the girl chewing and swallowing her hair."
Modern clinical use; specific types are named by composition (tricho-, phyto-, lacto-).
Historically, a calculus from the stomach of an animal, especially a ruminant, prized as a universal antidote to poison.
"The apothecary displayed a bezoar said to have belonged to a Persian prince."
Now chiefly of historical interest.
Regular pluralisation.
"Several bezoars were recovered from the animal's rumen."
For centuries people swallowed bezoars as an antidote to poison — and Queen Elizabeth I reportedly wore one set in silver.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bezoar
The word derives from Persian pād-zahr, meaning 'counter-poison' or 'antidote', reflecting the stone's ancient reputation as a defence against poison. It entered European languages via Arabic and Medieval Latin during the Middle Ages, appearing in English by the fifteenth century. The term thus preserves, in its very form, the belief that once made these stomach stones among the most sought-after objects in pharmacy.
How bezoar is actually used
Chiefly medical and historical registers. Modern usage is almost exclusively clinical, referring to gastrointestinal concretions; older senses relating to antidotes survive mainly in historical or literary contexts.
Easily confused with bezoar
A bazaar is a marketplace; a bezoar is a mass of indigestible material in the digestive tract.