Etymology of mineral and rock names
Very good sources:
École des Mines de Paris
P.W.Harben Inc.: Mineral Names
P.v.d.Krogt: Elementymology
Dr.Dillmann: The world of rocks (German)
Abbreviations:
Amer ... American
Arab ... Arabic
Br ... British
Chin ... Chinese
Caucas ... Caucasian
Fr ... French
Germ ... German
Gr ... Ancient Greek
Hebr ... Hebrew
It ... Italian
Lat ... Latin
Neapol ... Italian dialect spoken in and around Naples
Pers ... Persian
Pol ... Polish
Russ ... Russian
Sanskr ... Sanskrit (ancient language from India)
Sax ... Saxonic (German dialect)
Skand ... Skandinavian
Sl ... Slavic
Singhal ... Singhalese (Sinhala, Sinhalese) - spoken in Sri Lanka
Swed ... Swedish
- A-,An-
- Gr. a-, an- ...un-
- Aegirine
- Skand. Sea God Ægir
- Agate achates
- Gr. Achátes...river in Sicily
- Aktino- aktis
- Gr. aktìs...beam (after its habitus)
- Albite
- Lat. albus...white
- Alum(inium)
- Lat. alumen...alum
- Amethyst amethystos
- Gr. améthystos after Arab. jamsitun...Amethyst (Greeks derivated it from "methýein"...to be drunk, so they believed it could prevent people from getting drunk - v. "a-")
- Amphibolite amphi ballein
- Gr. amphì...around, on both sides; bállein...to throw ("ambiguous")
- Analcime analkes
- Gr. analkés...weak (for its weak electric conductivity)
- Anatexis anatexis
- Gr. anatéxis...rebirth
- Andalusite
- Andalucia...Span. region
- Andesite
- after the Andes Mts. in S-America
- Ankerite
- Anker...Austrian Mineralogist
- Apatite apate
- Gr. apáte...deception (because it can easily be mixed up with other min.)
- Aplite haplous
- Gr. haploûs...simple
- Aptychus-limestone
- Aptychus: fossil of uncertain origin (because it is harder and more likely to be preserved than associated parts) of the Upper Jurassic: possibilities: bivalve, cover or "tooth" of Ammonites
- Aragonite
- after the Span. region Aragon
- Argyro- argyros
- Gr. árgyros...silver
- Asbestos asbestos
- Gr. ásbestos...indestructible
- Azu-
- Fr. azur and Span. azul... blue, misinterpretation of the Arab. term *lazu- (v. below) suspecting the leading "l" for the Arab. article
- Baryte barys
- Gr. barýs...heavy
- Basalt basanites basanos
- Gr. ?basanítes..."from Basan" (town in Syria) or Gr. básanos...touchstone
- Bath- bathys
- Gr. bathýs...deep
- Bauxite
- after deposit Les Baux (Provence F)
- Bellerophon-beds
- Permian bivalve
- Bentonite
- Fort Benton, Wyoming USA
- Berylle beryllos
- Gr. béryllos, Ancient Ind. vaidurya ...berylle (Vaidur / Vailur...town in S-India - today Belur)
- biogene bios
- Gr. bíos...life; -genos...-created
- Biotite
- Fr. scientist
- blast blaste
- Gr. blasté...sprout
- breccia
- It. breccia...rubble
- Brookite
- Brit. mineralogist
- Brucite
- Amer. Mineralogist
- Bytownite
- old name of Ottawa CDN
- Calcite, Caliche
- Lat. calx...lime (Span. caliche...lime precipitation area in soil)
- Caledonian
- Lat. Caledonia...N Scotland
- Cardita-beds
- Karnian bivalve (Upper Triassic)
- Cassiterite kassiterides
- Gr. Kassiterídes...Tin Islands (probably Isles of Scilly - SW GB )
- Cerussite
- Lat. cerussa...white lead
- Chalcedone Kalchedon Chalkedon
- Gr. Kalchédon / Chalkédon ... today's city Üsküdar (opposite Istanbul TR)
- Chalko- chalkos
- Gr. chalkós...copper ore
- Chamosite
- Chamoson in Wallis Valley CH
- Chlor- chloros
- Gr. chlorós...green
- Chrom- chroma
- Gr. chrôma...colour
- Chryso- chrysos harus harush
- Gr. chrysós, Hebr. haruš ...gold; old: Chrysolite = Topase
- Clas- klaein
- Gr. kláein...to break, to split
- Clino- klinein
- Gr. klínein...to bend, to tilt (e.g. Monocline...after its oblique crystal axis)
- Coelestine
- Lat. caelestis, coelestis...celestial, from the sky (blue as the sky)
- concordance
- Lat. concors...unanimous, harmonious, conformable (opposite of -> discors)
- conglomerate
- Lat. conglomerare...to make into a ball / clod
- Copper
- Lat. cuprum...copper (from Gr. chálkos kýprios... Cypriot Ore)
- Cordierit
- after a Fr. geologist
- Cyanite kyanos
- Gr. kýanos...blue glaze
- Diabase diabasis
- Gr. diábasis...transition
- Diagenese diagenesis
- Gr. diagénesis..."re-formation"
- Diamant diamanteuesthai
- Gr. *adamant...the invincable (steel, diamond), influenced by Gr.diamanteúesthai...to predict, to foretell
- Diaphthorese diaphtheira
- Gr. diáphtheira...destruction
- Diorite dihorizein
- Gr. dihorízein...to distinguish (refers to the amphibole crystals)
- Discordance
- Lat. discors...unconformable, asunder, animous (opposite of concors)
- Dolerite doleros
- Gr. dolerós... deceitful (since it is difficult to distinguish it from, e.g., basalt)
- Dolomite
- after the Fr. mineralogist Dolomieu
- Dunite
- Dun-Mt., region Nelson, NZ
- Eclogite eklegein
- Gr. eklégein...to choose, to select
- Emerald smaragdos
- Gr. smáragdos, Hebr. bareqet...emerald (Fr.: "s"+cons. becomes "é")
- Epidote epididomi
- ? Gr. epidídomi...to gain
- Eruption
- Lat. erumpere...to burst out
- Erythrine erythros
- Gr. érythros...red
- Eu- eu
- Gr. eû...well (e.g. Euclase: for its good cleavage)
- Evaporite
- Lat. evaporare...to steam out
- Facies
- Lat. facies...appearance, face
- Fluorite
- Lat. fluere...to flow
- Flysch
- Swiss Germ. flyschen...to flow
- Franklinite
- Franklin, New Jersey USA
- Gabbro
- after Gabbro, a town in Tuscany, Italy
- Garnet
- v. Granite
- Glauko- glaukos
- Gr. glaukós...gleaming greyish blue
- Goethite
- after the Germ. poet and scientist
- Gondwanaland
- after an old kingdom in India, today Madhya Pradesh
- Granite, Grano-
- Lat. granum...grain (after its texture)
- Granulite
- Lat. granulum... small grain (named by J.W.v.GOETHE)
- Graphite graphein
- Gr. gráphein...to write (due to its use as a writing material)
- Gypsum gypsos
- Gr. gýpsos...gypsum
- Hal-
- v. salt
- Haemat- haima
- Gr. haîma(t)...blood (Haematite: after its colour)
- Harzburgit
- Harzburg: town in D
- Haüyn
- after the Fr. mineralogist Haüy
- hercynian
- Lat. Hercynia silva...mountains in central Germany and Bohemia, particularly Harz Mts.
- Hydr- hydor
- Gr. hýdor...water
- Hyper- hyper
- Gr. hypér...over, above, beyond
- Ignimbrite
- Lat. ignis...fire, imber...rain: "rain of fire"
- Illite
- Illinois USA
- Ilmenite
- after the Ilmen Mts. S-Ural RUS
- Inoceramen-Beds
- cretaceous bivalve
- Intrusion
- Lat. intrudere... to push in
- Kaolin
- Kao-Ling..."High Mountain" in Chin. province Kiangsi
- Kimberlit
- Kimberley RSA
- Kroko- krokos
- Gr. krókos, Hebr. karkom...saffron
- Krokydo- krokys
- Gr. krokýs...(wool) fibre
- Kryo- kryos
- Gr. krýos...ice
- Labradorite
- Peninsula E-CDN
- Lakko- lakkos
- Gr. lákkos...pit
- Lampro- lampros
- Gr. lampròs...light, glittering
- Lasu-
- v. Lazu-
- Laterite
- Lat. later...brick
- Latite
- Lat. Latium...surroundings of ancient Rome
- Laumontite
- after a mineralogist
- Laurentia
- Lat. for East Canada (St.Lawrence Seaway)
- Laurasia
- from Laurentia (see above) and Asia
- Laurussia
- from Laurentia (see above) and Russia
- Lava
- Neapol. lava...episodic torrent
- Lazu-
- Pers. Lazhward... location in what is today Afghanistan with deposits of Lapis Lazuli; the term came to Europe through the Arab. (which caused misinterpretations - v. "azu-")
- Lepido- lepis
- Gr. lepís...scale, plate
- Leuko-/Leuc- leukos
- Gr. leukòs...white
- Lherzo- ariege pyrenees
- Etang de Lherz...pond in Ariège (Pyrenèes) F
- Liparite
- Lipari: Island N of Sicily I
- -lith lithos
- Gr. líthos...stone
- Magma massein
- Gr. mássein...to knead; mâgma...dough
- Magnes-/Magnet- magnesia maiandros
- ? Magnesía...town at river Maíandros (today Menderes) in Asia Minor TR
- Malachite malache
- Gr. maláche, Hebr. malluah ...hollyhock
- Manganese manganeuein
- Lat. magnesia nigra...MnO2; influenced by Gr. manganeúein...to cheat, to trick ?
- Markasite marqashitha marqashita
- Arab. marqâshîta...flintstone
- Mela(no)- melas
- Gr. mélas...black, dark
- Meta- meta
- Gr. metá...(i.a.:) behind, after (e.g. metamorph: "redesigned")
- Mica
- Lat. mica...a bit; granule
- Migmatite meigma
- Gr. meîgma(t)...mixture
- Mikr- mikros
- Gr. mikrós...small
- Molasse
- Fr.(CH) for poorly cemented tertiary clay or sand sediments at the rim of the Alps
Origin uncertain. Either after Fr.mollasse...soft, wobbly, slack (Lat. mollis...soft), or Lat.mola...millstone
- Molybdenum molybdaina
- Gr. molýbdaina...lead pellet on fishing line
- Monazite monazein
- Gr. monázein...to be alone (for its solitary crystals)
- Montmorillonite
- town in F
- Monzonite moena
- Monzoni...mountain E of Moèna - Fassa Valley (NE of Trento I)
- Morph- morphe
- Gr. morphé...form, shape
- Muskovite
- Moskva RUS (people used to use large crystals as windows there)
- Mylonite mylon
- Gr. mylón...mill
- Nepheline nephele
- Gr. nephéle...cloud (after the clouding generated by acids)
- Niobium niobe
- Gr. Nióbe...legendary daughter of Tantalos
- Nontronite
- Nontron: town in Dordogne F
- Noseane
- Nose...Germ. Mineralogist
- Obsidian
- Lat. obsi(di)anus lapis...stone of Obsius (discoverer in Egypt or Ethiopia) ("di" false reading from Roman author PLINIUS t.E. "De Naturalibus")
- Oliv-
- Lat. oliva...olive
- Oo- oon
- Gr. oón...egg
- Opal
- Sanskr. upala... precious stone
- Ophiolite ophis
- Gr. ophis...snake (v. serpentine)
- Op(s), opt op, ops, opt
- Gr. ôps...eye, ôpsis... looking, seeing, optikós ... concerning seeing; looking like...
- Ortho- orthos
- Gr. orthós...straight (e.g. due to rectangular crystal axes - Orthoclase)
- Pegmatite pegma
- Gr. pêgma...stuck, congealed matter
- Pelite pelos
- Gr. pélos...clay, mud
- Perthite
- town in Ontario CDN
- Petalite petalon
- Gr. pétalon...leaf, slate (for its cleavage)
- Petro- petros
- Gr. pétros...rock
- Pheno / Phan(ero) phainein phaneros
- Gr. phaínein...appear, phanerós...visible
- Phenakite phenax
- Gr. phénax...cheater (looking like quartz)
- Phlogopite phlox
- Gr. phlóx...flame, Gr. ôp... "looking like..."
- Phono- phone
- Gr. phoné...sound, voice
- Phos-/Photo- phos phoros
- Gr. pháos, Att. phôs...light; Phosphor..."light carrier" (Gr. phorós...carrying)
- Phyllite phyllon
- Gr. phýllon...leaf (due to its cleavage)
- -phyr phyrein
- Gr. phýrein...sprinkle, mix
- Picrite pikros
- Gr. pikrós...bitter
- Piso- pisos
- Gr. písos...pea
- Plagio- plagios
- Gr. plágios...oblique, tilted (Plagioclase: oblique cleavage planes)
- Plaener
- Sax. for "Plauener" Sandstone (Plauen...suburb of Dresden D)
- Plutone
- Lat. God of the Underworld
- poicilitic poikilos
- Gr. poíkilos...varied, coloured
- Porphyre porphyra
- Gr. porphýra...purple snail, purple (after Semitic language)
- -prase prason
- ? Gr. práson...leek (Chrysopras: "gold leek" after its colour)
- Prehnite
- Germ. Colonel
- Proustite
- Fr. chemist
- Psammite psammos
- Gr. psámmos...sand
- Psephite psephos
- Gr. pséphos...chunk, lump
- Psilo- psilos
- Gr. psilós...bare, smooth
- Pyr- louein
- Gr. pyr...fire (Pyrite: since you can produce sparks with it)
Pyrolusite (Gr. loúein...to wash): used as bleaching agent in glass production
- Pyrrhotine pyrrhos
- Gr. pyrrhós...reddish
- Quartz
- origin unclear. Either from Slawic (Czech tvrdy, Pol. tvardy...quartz, Old Sl. tvrudu...hard) or from Middle High German querch...dwarf (gangue minerals were often related to dwarves)
- Realgare
- Arab. rhal-el-ghar...cave powder
- Rhodo- rhodon
- Gr. rhódon...rose (for its colour)
- Rhyo- rhein
- Gr. rheîn...flow
- Rodinia
- Russ. rodina...motherland, homeland
- Rutile
- Lat. rutilus...reddish brown, yellow-brown
- Saltpetre
- Lat. sal...salt; petra...stone
- Salt hals
- Gr. háls...salt (Gr. "h" becomes "s")
- Sanidine sanis
- Gr. sanís...slab, slate (after its habitus)
- Sapphire sappir
- Hebr. sappîr...sapphire
- Scheelite
- after a Swed. chemist
- Sediment
- Lat. sidere...to settle
- Selenite selene
- Gr. seléne...moon
- Serpentine
- Lat. serpens...snake (referring to the skin pattern)
- Siderite sideros
- Gr. síderos, Caucas. zido...iron
- Silic-
- Lat. silex...quartz
- Sillimanite
- Amer. chemist
- Skarn
- Swed. skarn...shooting star?
- Smithsonite
- Brit.-Amer. mineralogist
- Sphene sphen
- Gr. sphén...wedge (for its habitus)
- Spodumene spodumenos
- Gr. spodoúmenos...reduced to ashes
- Stauro- stauros
- Gr. staurós...cross (after its twin crystals)
- Steatite stear
- Gr. stéar...fat (feeling fatty)
- -sthen sthenos
- Gr. sthénos...strenght (Di-sthene: due to its two different Mohs' strengths; A-stheno-sphere: "sphere without strength" - viscous upper mantle)
- Strontium
- town Strontian (NG 820620) at Loch Sunart
(Co.Argyllshire GB, WSW of Ft.William)
- Syenite
- Arab. Assuan...Syene Upper Egypt
- Taconic
- after the Taconic Mts. in the Appallaches (USA)
- Talc
- Arab. talq...talc
- Tantalum tantalos
- Gr. Tántalos...legendary son of Zeus
- Tecton- tekton
- Gr. tékton...builder, craftsman
- Tethys tethys
- Gr. Tethýs...legendary wife of Okéanos
- Tholeiite
- Tholey: town in Saarland D
- Titanium titan
- Gr. Titán...legendary sons of -> Uranós
- Topaz
- Sanskr. tapus...fire
- Trachyte trachys
- Gr. trachýs...rough
- Trapp
- Swed. trapp...stair (after its stairlike structures)
- Turbidite
- Lat. turbidus...churned, troubled, tangled
- Turquoise
- since it was imported by Persians across Turkey
- Turmaline
- Singhal. turamali...turmaline
- Uranium Ouranos Uranos
- Gr. Ouranós...god of heaven, grandfather of Zeus
- Variscian
- Variscians: ancient tribe near Hof / N-Bavaria (headwaters of river Saale) D
- Vermiculite
- Lat. vermiculus...little worm
- volcanic
- Lat. Vulcanus...legendary God of Fire
- Willemite
- after a Danish king
- Wollastonite
- after a Brit. mineralogist
- Wulfenite
- after an Austrian mineralogist
- Wurtzite
- after a Fr. chemist
- Xeno- xenos
- Gr. xénos...strange
- Zircone
- Arab. sarkun...gold-coloured (after the Pers.?)
- Zoisite
- after the Slowenian-Austrian baron Sigmund Zois of Edelstein (Ljubljana - Bonhinj)
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Last modified: Oct 28, 2010
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