Etymologically
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amethyst

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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
  • 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