豆蔻
Chinese
| bean; sacrificial vessel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (豆蔻/荳蔻) | 豆/荳 | 蔻 | |
| simp. (豆蔻) | 豆 | 蔻 | |
| alternative forms | 豆寇 | ||
Etymology
Perhaps a variant of Tang-dynasty 多骨 (MC ta kwot), referring to cardamom imported from the Kakkola (伽古羅) country on the western coast of the Malaya Peninsula, which the Chinese from the eighth century thought produced both the nutmegs and the round cardamom (Amomum compactum), the latter possibly imported from Java (Donkin, 2003).
Compare Sanskrit तक्कोल (takkola, “a kind of perfume”), कक्कोल (kakkola, “a kind of plant; a perfume”), Pali takkola, Arabic قاقُلَّة (qāqulla, “cardamom”), Tibetan ཀ་ཀོ་ལ (ka ko la, “cardamom”), Javanese kapulaga.
Li Shizhen interprets this word as a compound of 豆 (“bean(-like)”) + 蔻 (“many; profusion”).
Pronunciation
Noun
豆蔻
- cardamom, especially the round cardamom (Amomum compactum)
- Alternative name for 肉豆蔻 (ròudòukòu, “nutmeg”).
- (figurative) girl's teenage years (especially 13–14 years of age); maidenhood; budding beauty
Synonyms
- (cardamom): 小豆蔻 (xiǎodòukòu)
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