The Basil 589 



"Flora Orientalis" does not contain any Magnolia. The foreign name 

 is apparently a compound, the second element of which, lo-lo, is iden- 

 tical with the Indian-Chinese name of the basil, so that it is justifiable 

 to suppose that the entire name denotes an Iranian variety of the basil 

 or another member of the genus Ocimum. 



The basil is styled in Middle Persian palangamuSk, in New Persian 

 palanmilk, Arabic-Persian falanjmuSk, faranjmuSk, Abu Mansur: 

 faranjamuik (Armenian p'alangamuSk) , x the second element mulk or 

 milk meaning "musk," and the first component denoting anything of 

 a motley color, like a panther or giraffe. The significance of the word, 

 accordingly, is "spotted and musky." This definition is quite plausible, 

 for the leaves of some basils are spotted. John Parkinson, 2 discussing 

 the various names of the basil, remarks, "The first is usually called 

 Ocimum vulgare, or vulgatius, and Ocimutn Citratum. In English, Com- 

 mon or Garden Basill. The other is called Ocimum minimum, or Gario- 

 phyllatum, Clove Basill, or Bush Basill. The last eyther of his place, or 

 forme of his leaves, being spotted and curled, or all, is called Ocimum 

 Indicum maculatum, latifolium and crispum. In English according to the 

 Latine, Indian Basill, broade leafed Basill, spotted or curled Basill, 

 which you please." 3 The Arabic forms are phonetically developed from 

 Persian palan; and it is somewhat surprising that R. Dozy 4 explains 

 Arabic jaranjmulk as "musk of the Franks," although he refers to the 

 variants bar an] and falanj. 



While there is a certain resemblance between the Middle-Persian 

 name and our Chinese transcription, I do not believe that the two 

 can be identified. The Chinese calls for an initial sonant and a u- vowel; 

 whereas the Iranian form, as positively corroborated by the Armenian 

 loan-word, is possessed of an initial surd with following a. I am rather 

 inclined to regard *bu-lan as a Sogdian word, and to derive it from 

 Sogdian boda, boban ("perfume"). 5 The name *bu-lan ra-lak would 

 accordingly signify "aromatic basil" (corresponding to our "sweet 

 basil"), the peculiar aroma being the prominent characteristic of the 



1 HtJBSCHMANN, Armen. Gram., p. 254. According to others, this word would 

 refer to Ocimum gratissimum, the shrubby basil, but practically this makes no 

 difference, as the properties and employment of the herbs are the same. 



* Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris, p. 450 (London, 1629). The technical 

 term of the botanists in describing the leaves is subtus punctata (G. Bentham, 

 Labiatarum genera, p. 5; de Candolle, Prodromus, pars XII, p. 32). 



■ Linne (Species plantarum, Vol. I, p. 597. Holmiae, 1753) has Ocymum latifo- 

 lium maculatum sive crispum. 



1 Supplement aux dictionnaires arabes, Vol. II, p. 262. 



5 R. Gauthiot, Essai sur le vocalisme du sogdien, pp. 45, 101, 102; F. W. K. 

 MtiLLER, Handschriften-Reste in Estrangelo-Schrift, II, p. 35. 



