amethyst

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæm.ə.θɪst/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English amatiste,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French ametiste^[4][3] and Medieval Latin amatistus,^[4][3] from Latin amethystus,^[5][2][6] from Ancient Greek ἀμέθυστος (améthustos, “not intoxicating”),^[4][6] from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + μεθύσκειν (methúskein, “to make drunk”),^[4][5][3] from méthu “wine”,^[4][5][2] from Proto-Indo-European *medhu- (“honey; mead”).^[4][5] The stone was believed to prevent drunkenness.^[5][4][6][3] The spelling with -th- was restored in early Modern English.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A precious stone of clear purple or bluish-violet colour (c1290).^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The ancients wore amethyst while drinking to ward off intoxication;^[4] Etymonline suggests this was sympathetic magic prompted by its wine-like colour.^[4] The name has stayed attached to the gem, and was extended to its colour, first in heraldry (1572),^[7] and to a rare violet variety of corundum (1753).^[7][5]

Timeline

• c1290 – a purple or bluish-violet precious stone.^[7][3]
• 1572 – (heraldry) the colour purple.^[7]
• 1601 – used attributively, “amethyst-coloured”.^[7]
• 1753 – oriental amethyst, a violet variety of corundum.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A purple or violet variety of quartz, used as a gemstone.
2. A purple variety of corundum used as a gem.
3. A moderate or purplish violet colour.

Adjective

1. Having the colour of amethyst.

Word family

• amethystine
• amethystlike

Related words

• mead
• methyl

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press