Where does “diamond” come from?
Diamond comes from Dutch diamant, from Middle Dutch diamant, from Old French diamant, from Latin adamas, from Ancient Greek ἀδάμας, derived from the prefix ἀ- meaning "not" combined with a root meaning "to tame."
diamond (English): A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an...
Definitions
- A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an...
Ancestry of “diamond”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | dyamaunt | diamond; A valuable individual |
| 2 | Old French | diamant | diamond |
| 3 | Late Latin | diamas | — |
| 4 | Latin | adamās | Adamant; the hardest steel or iron; diamond; an object made of adamant |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἀδάμας | adamant, the hardest metal; a hard metal... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |