蘆薈

Etymology
. The word lu-hui was possibly borrowed from some language in Arabia, but its exact source remains enigmatic. Compare 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬,, , , , all meaning “aloe”.

First attested in 《藥性論》 by Zhen Quan (甄權) of the as. A number of variant forms existed for this term, suggesting a borrowed nature. Li Xun of the 10th century stated that:



This is in reference to a blackish-brown, inspissated form of aloe, obtained by boiling its sap down to a mass. This form of aloe was popular in much of Eurasia in antiquity, and was of medicinal value. The 13th-century book  describes the plant as:



The land of Nu-fa corresponds to in Southern Arabia, a region historically renowned as a centre for Aloe cultivation.

A common folk etymology interpretation of the word is +.

Noun

 * 1) aloe (Aloe)

Etymology
→ →

Originally borrowed from.

During the, this plant was known in Japan as roe, an abbreviation of the Latin-derived genus name.

The kanji spelling is, based on the borrowed reading of e for , based on the goon reading of e for the separate character , the lower portion of the character (and the kyūjitai form of shinjitai ). Over time, the irregular e reading reverted to the then-official kwai reading, which then shifted to produce modern rokai.

Noun

 * 1) aloe plant of the genus

Usage notes
This term has been mostly superseded in modern Japanese by the re-borrowed term.

Etymology
Probably borrowed from. See that entry for more details.

Noun

 * 1)  aloe plant of the genus