Etymologically
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granite

Etymology and origin of the English word granite

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1613–39
Borrowed from
French granit
Ultimate origin
Latin (grānum)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French granit
English granite

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡɹæn.ɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French granit or directly Italian granito (“granite; originally grained”),[2][3][4] the past participle of granire (“to granulate”),[2][3] from grano (“grain”), from Latin grānum (“grain”) (see corn and grain),[2][3][5] named for the rock's grainy appearance.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A granular crystalline rock: 1613–39 in the OED;[6] 1646 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster, the 1640s in Etymonline.[2][7][3]

Semantic evolution

Figuratively, of hardness of heart or head, it is from 1839.[3][6] New Hampshire has been the Granite State since at least 1825.[3] In American use a granite was also a rough-grained water ice, from 1887.[6]

Timeline

  • 1613–39 – granite.[6]
  • 1646 – granite (Barnhart).[2]
  • 1825 – the Granite State.[3]
  • 1839 – hardness (figurative).[3][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A hard, light-coloured, coarse-grained igneous rock made mainly of quartz, feldspar and mica, used in building and monuments.
  2. Great hardness, endurance or firmness of purpose.

Word family

  • granitic
  • granitelike
  • granitoid
  • graniteware
  • granitite
  • granitization
  • granitize
  • granodiorite

Usage notes

In Northumberland, sinkers used granite for a very flinty rock in the coal measures.[8]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Granite.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/granite. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·