Where does “spinel” come from?
Spinel comes from French spinelle, from Latin spina meaning "thorn," from Proto-Italic speinā, from Proto-Indo-European spey-.
spinel (English): Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry...
Definitions
- Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry...
Ancestry of “spinel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | spinelle | spinel |
| 2 | Latin | spīna | a thorn or a thorny tree or shrub, such as whitethorn, hawthorn, or blackthorn |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | speinā | thorn |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | spēy- | to stretch; thrive; succeed |
Words derived from “spinel”