§ 3 آأْرْغِیسٌ

آأْرْغِیسٌ or أَاَرْغِیسٌ ’ārγīs; Ibn-Beytâr defines it as: the bark of the root of tree Berberis vulgaris قشر أصل شجرة البرباريس; a Barbarian name إسم بربري [cortex radicis oxyacanthae sive berberis; vox barbar], Freytag LAL 1:1, as a synonym he says: the people of the Egypt call it 'Moroccan fragrant wood' أهل مصر يسمونه عود ريح مغربي, Ibn-Beytâr KJMAA 1:6.

Also cf. Pers. أَاَرْغِیش and آرغیش ’ārγīš, Moin Burhân-Qâti' 32.

Dehkhodâ mentions the forms of this word as: آرغیس, آرغیش, and اَرغیس; and also a synonym as عود الریح; then he says: آرغیس is perh. a misprint of بارباریس or امبرباریس barberry, Pepperidge, Dehkhodâ PED 107. Also cf. Leclerc Précis de phytothérapie.

In the book of Flore de la Kabylie du Djurdjura in the family of Berbéridées, the species occurring in the Barbarian regions, has been mentioned as Berberis hispanica Boiss., also as a synonym: Berberis vulgaris var. australis Bois.; the native Algerian names (in Tamazight language) [Kabyle]: Tazougarth, Thasgouarth; Ar. equivalents: Dmamai [perh. أدمامای], and Asberbarica [perh. أمبرباریس or أنبرباریس], Debeaux Flore de la Kabylie du Djurdjura 22.

According to the above Tamaz. Tazougarth and Thasgouarth words for this plant (perh. as a local or vulgar pronunciations), we may compare them to following words in standard Tamazight:

Tamaz. tazrart a kind of white fig, and its tree [sorte de figue blanche, l'arbre qui donne ce fruit], Huyghe Dictionnaire Kabyle-Français 315, hence cf: figue de Barbarie prickly pear, Kettridge DFE 109. Also cf. tazigzaut [l'absinthe (liqueur)], Huyghe DKF 315.

For the first part of the word (ā-), see the explanations in article أملیلس.