A variant spelling or alternate name for benzoin, an aromatic resin obtained from certain Asian trees, used in perfumes, medicines, and incense.
From Arabic luban jawi 'frankincense from Java' (jawi = Java), which became benjoin in European languages. The word entered English through trade routes and spice commerce.
Benjoin shows how Arabic trade words transformed as they traveled west: what the Arabs called 'jawi' (Java stuff) became 'benjoin' in European languages—a perfect example of how commerce shapes vocabulary.
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