Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hematite” come from?

Hematite comes from Middle French hematite, from Latin haematites, from Ancient Greek αἱματίτης, ultimately derived from Ancient Greek αἷμα meaning blood, with the name referencing the stone's blood-red color.

hematite (English): An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, FeO

Definitions

  1. An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, FeO

Ancestry of “hematite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchhematitehematite
2LatinhaematitesA kind of red iron-ore, haematite; A red-colored...
3Ancient Greekαἱματίτης—
4Ancient Greekαἷμαblood
5Latinglobusany round object; a sphere; a globe; a glob,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangel-to be cold, to freeze

Words derived from “hematite”

  • hematitic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gel- →