| Arsacid Empire; Parthian Empire | pomegranate | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (安石榴) | 安石 | 榴 | |
| simp. #(安石榴) | 安石 | 榴 | |
So named as it was brought to China by Zhang Qian from the Arsacid Empire (安石) in Irania.
The botanist Li Shizhen suggests that 榴 (OC *m·ru) here is the same as 瘤 (OC *m·ru, *m·rus, “lump, tumour”), as the pomegranate fruit resembles cancerous outgrowth on the body. The reconstructed consonants of this part equal those of a wanderwort for the pomegranate present in Arabic رُمَّان (rummān, “pomegranate”), see it for other languages.
安石榴