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lab·da·num

(lăbdə-nəm) also lad·a·num

(lădn-əm)

A resin of certain Mediterranean rockroses of the genus Cistus, yielding a fragrant essential oil used in flavorings and perfumes.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin lapdanum, labdanum, alteration of Latin lādanum, from Greek lēdanon, lādanon, from lēdon, *lādon, rockrose, of Semitic origin; akin to Old South Arabian ldn, probably a kind of rockrose, and Akkadian ladinnu, ladunu, labdanum; see ldn in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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