Etymologically
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granite

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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)