Where does “opal” come from?

opal (Romanian) comes from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος, from Sanskrit उपल, from Sanskrit उपरि, from Proto-Indo-Aryan upári, from Proto-Indo-Iranian upári, from Proto-Indo-European upér.

opal (Romanian): opal

Definitions

  1. opal

Ancestry of “opal”, step by step

opal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French opale

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchopaleopal
2Latinopalusopal
3Byzantine Greekὀπάλλιοςopal
4Sanskritउपलstone; gem, stone
5Sanskritउपरिover; above; beyond
6Proto-Indo-Aryanupári—
7Proto-Indo-Iranianupáriabove, over
8Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
9Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

via German opal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanopalopal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upó →Every word from Proto-Indo-European upér →