Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Opals” come from?

Opals (English) comes from English opal, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος, from Sanskrit उपल, from Sanskrit उपरि, from Proto-Indo-Aryan upári, from Proto-Indo-Iranian upári.

Ancestry of “Opals”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishopalA mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but...
2Frenchopaleopal
3Latinopalusopal
4Byzantine Greekὀπάλλιοςopal
5Sanskritउपलstone; gem, stone
6Sanskritउपरिover; above; beyond
7Proto-Indo-Aryanupári—
8Proto-Indo-Iranianupáriabove, over
9Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
10Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →