Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Emery” come from?

Emery comes from Old French emerie, from Medieval Latin smiris, from Greek smýris meaning a hard abrasive substance, ultimately from Proto-Germanic amal.

Ancestry of “Emery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchémeriemery
2Old Frenchesmeril—
3Italiansmeriglioemery; merlin; Synonym of sparviero
4Greekσμερίλιον—
5Ancient Greekσμερί—
6Ancient Greekσμύριςemery-powder, used by lapidaries

Words derived from “Emery”

  • Emerson
  • Emersonian
  • Emmerson
  • Emerie
Every word from Ancient Greek σμύρις →