عسج

عَوْسَجٌ ذ [The lycium, or box-thorn; of several species; but now particularly applied to the lycium Europæum of Linn.: accord. to Sprengel (Hist. rei herb. p. 252, as stated by Freytag), applied to the zizyphus spina Christi, which is the rhamnus spina Christi of Linn.; but this is the سِدْر:] a species of thorn: (S, O, K: *) certain trees of the thorn-kind, (L,) having a round red fruit [or berry ] like the carnelian-bead, (O, L,) which is sweet, and is eaten: (O:) or a species of thorntrees having a bitter red fruit in which is acidity, called مُصْعٌ: (Msb:) or certain trees having many thorns, and of several species, whereof is one that produces a red fruit, called مُصْعٌ, in which is acidity: (T:) when it grows large, it is called غَرْقَدٌ: (O, Msb:) and because of the softness of its wood, the women of the Arabs of the desert make of it spindles for spinning wool: (O:) the n. un. is with ة: (S, O, Msb: [in the K, عَوْسَجٌ is termed the pl. of عَوْسَجَةٌ:]) and it is said that the pl. of the n. un. is عَوَاسِجُ: (TA:) ISd says, the genuine عَوْسَج is short between the knots, hard in the wood, small in the leaves, and does not grow large, and this is the best sort: thus says AHn: (L:) some say that it is the عليق [i. e. عُلَّيْق, q. v.]: Dioscorides says, it is a tree that grows in tracts that exude water and produce salt, having erect thorny branches, and leaves somewhat long, overspread with a moist viscous substance: and there is another species, whiter than this: and another species, of which the leaves are blacker than those of the former, and wider, inclining a little to redness, and its branches are long, their length being about five cubits, and having more numerous thorns, and weaker, and less sharp, and its fruit is wide and thin, as though it were in sheaths: and the عوسج has a fruit like the توث [or mulberry ], which is eaten: it grows mostly in cold, or cool, countries. (Avicenna [Ibn-Seenà], book ii. p. 232. [In this extract from Dioscorides, in the original, are some unimportant words which I have passed over, including two imperfectly printed, and unintelligible: and what is said in it respecting the fruit I think doubtful, as being inapplicable to the fruit of the box-thorn.])