Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nephrite” come from?

nephrite (English) comes from Ancient Greek νεφρῖτις, from Ancient Greek νεφρός, from Proto-Hellenic *nekʷʰrós, from Proto-Indo-European negʷʰrós — kidney.

nephrite (English): A semi-precious stone, one of the two types of...

Definitions

  1. A semi-precious stone, one of the two types of...

Ancestry of “nephrite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekνεφρῖτις—
2Ancient Greekνεφρόςkidney; testicle; mind
3Proto-Hellenic*nekʷʰrós—
4Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷʰróskidney
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷʰrós →