Bibliotheca Polyglotta

▪ As for the semantic connection between the old meaning ‘to become sour’ and the newer ‘to be courageous’, Lane I (1863) suggested that ‘to become sour’ was secondary, said of milk in analogy to the meaning ‘to frown, contract one’s face; to look sternly’ (cf. V), among other reasons ‘by reason of courage, or of anger; to be displeasing, or odious’.
▪ The fact that the meaning ‘to be courageous’ is not found in other Sem langs suggests that it is an Arab innovation and that the Arab philologists’ etymology, preserved in Lane I (1863), is wrong: it was not the sternly looking man’s face after which sour milk was called, but the sour milk from which the meaning was transferred to humans.

hist

▪ …

cogn

▪ DRS 2 (1994) #BSL-1 Ar basula ‘être brave’, basala ‘prendre un air sévère; aigrir (lait), fermenter, se gâter’. La rac. est certainement liée à d’autres qui n’en diffèrent que par la nature et la place de la liquide : BNS, BSR.
▪ …

disc

See section CONC, above.

west

…

deriv

►tabassala, vb. V, to scowl, glower.
►ĭstabsala, vb. X, to be reckless, defy death.

►basālaẗ, n.f., courage, intrepidity: vn. I.
►ĭstibsāl, n., death defiance: vn. X.
►bāsil, pl. busalāʔᵘ, bawāsilᵘ, adj., brave, fearless, intrepid: PA I.
►mustabsil, adj., death‑defying, heroic: PA X.

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