蘆薈

Unknown. The word lu-hui was possibly borrowed from some language in Arabia, but its exact source remains enigmatic. Compare Classical Syriac ܥܰܠܘܰܝ (ʿalway), Arabic أَلْوَة (ʔalwa), Persian الوا (alvâ, elvâ), Ge'ez ዐልዋ (ʿälwa), ዓልው (ʿalw), ዓልዋ (ʿalwa), አለው (ʾäläw), አልው (ʾälw), all meaning “aloe”.

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

蘆薈生波斯國，狀似黑餳（飴糖），乃樹脂也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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芦荟生波斯国，状似黑饧（饴糖），乃树脂也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 10th century, Li Xun (李珣), 《海藥本草》 ([Over]seas Pharmacopoeia)

Lúhuì shēng Bōsīguó, zhuàng sì hēitáng (yítáng), nǎi shùzhī yě. [Pinyin]

Lu-hui grows in the country Po-si [i.e. Persia], has the appearance of black confectionery, and is the sap of a tree.

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 13^th-century book Zhu Fan Zhi describes the plant as:

蘆薈出大食奴發國，草屬也。其狀如鱟尾，土人採而以玉器搗研之，熬而成膏，置諸皮袋中，名曰蘆薈。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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芦荟出大食奴发国，草属也。其状如鲎尾，土人采而以玉器捣研之，熬而成膏，置诸皮袋中，名曰芦荟。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 13th century, Zhao Rugua (趙汝适), 《諸蕃志》 (A Description of Barbarian Nations)

Lúhuì chū Dàshí Núfāguó, cǎo shǔ yě. Qí zhuàng rú hòu wěi, tǔrén cǎi ér yǐ yùqì dǎoyán zhī, áo ér chéng gāo, zhì zhū pídài zhōng, míng yuē lúhuì. [Pinyin]

Lu-hui comes from the land of Nu-fa of the Ta-shi country [i.e. Arabia]. It is derived from a vegetable product, which looks like the tail of a king-crab. The natives gather it and pound it with implements made of jadestone, after which it is boiled into an ointment and packed in skin bags, and this is called lu-hui.

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

A common folk etymology interpretation of the word is 盧 (“black”) + 會 (“to assemble; to concentrate”).

蘆薈

1. aloe (Aloe)

• (Teochew) 油蔥／油葱 (yóu cōng)
• 奴會／奴会 (núhuì)
• 訥會／讷会 (nèhuì)
• 勞偉／劳伟

/roe/ → /rokwai/ → /rokai/

Originally borrowed from Latin aloe.

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

The kanji spelling is ateji (当て字), based on the borrowed reading of e for 薈 (which has official on'yomi of wai and kai, historical kwai), based on the goon reading of e for the separate character 會, the lower portion of the character 薈 (and the kyūjitai form of shinjitai 会). Over time, the irregular e reading reverted to the then-official kwai reading, which then shifted to produce modern rokai.[1][2]

• (Tokyo) ろかい [ròkáí] (Heiban – [0])[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɾo̞ka̠i]

蘆(ろ)薈(かい) • (rokai) ^{←ろくわい (rokwai)?}

1. aloe (plant of the genus Aloe)

This term has been mostly superseded in modern Japanese by the re-borrowed term アロエ (aroe).

• → Okinawan: 蘆薈 (rugwai, dugwai)

Probably borrowed from Japanese 蘆薈 (rokai). See that entry for more details.

• IPA^(key): /ɾuɡʷai/, /duɡʷai/

蘆薈(るぐゎい) or 蘆薈(どぅぐゎい) (rugwai or dugwai) 

1. (botany) aloe (plant of the genus Aloe)