Where does “porphyry” come from?

Porphyry comes from Old French porfire, a stone prized in ancient times for its deep purple color and use in decorative arts.

porphyry (English): a hard igneous rock consisting of large crystals...

Definitions

  1. a hard igneous rock consisting of large crystals...

Ancestry of “porphyry”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchporfireporphyry
2Medieval Latinporphyrium//porphyrum—
3Latinporphyrītēspurple-red coloured stone from Egypt, porphyry

Words derived from “porphyry”

Every word from Latin porphyrītēs →Every word from Medieval Latin porphyrium//porphyrum →Every word from Old French porfire →