Where does “dīemant” come from?
dīemant (Middle High German) comes from Old French diamant, from Late Latin diamas, from Latin adamās, from Ancient Greek ἀδάμας, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥-, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
Ancestry of “dīemant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | diamant | diamond |
| 2 | Late Latin | diamas | — |
| 3 | Latin | adamās | Adamant; the hardest steel or iron; diamond; an object made of adamant |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀδάμας | adamant, the hardest metal; a hard metal... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |