A bezoar stone found in the stomach or intestines of animals, particularly wild goats; a hard mass formed from hair, fiber, or other indigestible material.
From Greek 'aegagros' (wild goat) plus 'pilos' (hair), literally 'wild-goat hair-mass.' This is an anglicized variant of 'aegagropila,' adapted for English scientific and medical discourse.
Bezoar stones captivated medieval Europe so completely that European princes paid enormous sums for them—some 'bezoar cups' were encased in gold and used by rulers who feared poisoning, making them strange symbols of wealth and paranoia.
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