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Dave Rahardja@drahardja@sfba.social (2026-08-16 10:44:42)
#TodayILearned that the word “benzin”, used to mean “gasoline” or “petrol” in many languages around the world, came from the name of an aromatic gum from Java called “lubān jāwi” in Arabic (lit. “Javanese frankincense”). The word then traveled to medieval Catalan where it was rebracketed into “lo benjuí”. It then entered French as “benjoin”, and the rest is history. “Benzin” and other variants were used to name any number of things that produced a volatile or combustible vapor, including petroleum.

Interestingly, petroleum is called “bensin” in Java, and I never realized the term traveled around the world and returned full circle.

Video source: hxxps://www.facebook.com/reel/1709454410291684

Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzoin_resin

#etymology #English
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video: https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/117/102/651/608/225/202/original/9125e3e3722c4dd1.mp4