ἁρμαλά <Unspecified origin; Roman period>
👉 ἁρμαλά, ἅρμαλα, ἅρμολα (cf. also vv.ll. αρμαλαλα, ἁρμαλαλᾶ in Dsc. 3.45 RV) f. or indecl. – ‘wild rue (Peganum harmala L.)’ (Dsc. 3.46; Gal. 12.82, 12.938, 13.257; Ps.-Gal. 19.725) and ‘rue (Ruta graveolens L.)’ (Dsc. 3.45 RV).
⚠ Dsc. 3.45 RV: πήγανον κηπαῖον· (...) Σύροι ἁρμαλά, οἱ δὲ βησσασά (...) – “Cultivated rue: (...) the Syrians (call it) harmala or bēssasa (...)”. But cf. Dsc. 3.46: καλοῦσι δέ τινες αὐτὸ (scil. πήγανον ἄγριον) ἁρμαλά, Σύροι δὲ βήσσασαν, Καππάδοκες δὲ μῶλυ (...) – “Some call this plant (scil. wild rue) harmala, the Syrians bessasa, and the Cappadocians moly (...)” (trans. L.Y. Beck); Gal. 12.82: Μῶλυ. τινὲς τοῦτο πήγανον ἄγριον ὀνομάζουσιν, ἔνιοι δὲ ἅρμολαν, Σύροι δὲ βησασὰν, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ οἱ Καππαδόκαι μῶλυ (...) – ‘’Mōly (wild rue). Some call it pēganon agrion, some other (call it) harmolan, the Syrians (call it) bēsasa, whereas the Cappadocians call it mōly (...)”; Gal. 12.938: (...) βήσασα, ὅ τινες ἅρμαλα καλοῦσι (...) – “(...) bēsasa that some call harmala (...)”; Gal. 13.257: Βήσασα, σπέρμα δέ ἐστιν ἐν Συρίᾳ γεννώμενον τοῦ ἀγρίου πηγάνου, ὃ δὴ οἱ ἐντόπιοι ἅρμαλα καλοῦσιν. – “Bēsasa: it is a seed found in Syria, that the locals call harmala”. Cf. βήσασα.
🅔 Probably an Oriental word – cf. Arabic ḥarmal ‘wild rue (Peganum harmala L.)’. The Syriac ʾarmlā ‘id.’ and Coptic ⲁⲣⲙⲁⲣⲁ (S) ‘id.’ are interpreted as loans from Greek. Cf. ἄρμαρα.
📖 Data: DMwA: 172; DSO: s.v. ⲁⲣⲙⲁⲣⲁ; SL: 102. Ref.: cf. EDG: 134; Löw 1924-34: III, 509.