As for the term, Kirtikar and Basu (Indian Medicinal Plants, 2nd rev.
ed., 1935, vol. III, pp. 1860-61) give a detailed list of words for
sesame in many Indian languages, but in no language is the term derived
from the Semitic form.
The only exception is Bengali, where the authors give the word "Sumsum".
Surprisingly, Bengali dictionaries do not list this word. On the other
hand, one of the authors was a Bengali, so perhaps he did know the usage
of this word in Bengali. My guess is that the term may have been used in
Musulmani Bengali as a direct borrowing from Arabic. But that is uncertain.
The Bengali-speaking members of our list can hopefully add more information.
L.
On 26.04.2023 12:19, Robert Zydenbos wrote:
Dear list friends,
A non-Indological colleague asked me whether there are any references in
ancient Indian literature to the medicinal use of sesame oil.
Related: is there any Indian word in any language for 'sesame' that
resembles 'shumshum', 'simsim' or 'shamashammu'?
Any information concerning these two questions would be most welcome.
RZ
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