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sapphire

Etymology and origin of the English word sapphire

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsæf.aɪ̯ə/ (UK); /ˈsæf.aɪ̯əɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English saphir, borrowed from Old French saphir,[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin sapphīrus,[2][3][4][5][6] from Ancient Greek σάπφειρος (sáppheiros),[2][3][4][5][6] probably from a Semitic source like Hebrew sappīr.[2][3][4][5][6] The OED doubts that it is ultimately Semitic, and some suggest Sanskrit śanipriya “dear to Saturn”, a dark precious stone.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A precious stone of a beautiful transparent blue (before 1272 in the OED; about 1250 in Barnhart);[7][3] it appears earlier as a surname (1221).[3]

Semantic evolution

The gem the Greeks called sáppheiros was apparently not the modern sapphire but perhaps lapis lazuli.[4] In mineralogy the name was extended to all the transparent precious varieties of corundum (1668).[7] As a colour, a deep bright blue, it dates from the 1680s,[4][7] and in heraldry it named the tincture azure (1562).[7] A sapphire was also used as a gramophone stylus (1943).[7]

Timeline

  • 1221 – as a surname.[3]
  • c. 1250 – the gem.[3][7]
  • 1432 – adjective, sapphire-coloured.[3]
  • 1668 – any precious corundum.[7]
  • 1680s – a deep blue colour.[4][7]
  • 1943 – a gramophone stylus.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A clear, hard variety of corundum used as a gemstone, usually blue but of any colour except red.
  2. A gem of this mineral.
  3. A deep, brilliant blue colour.

Adjective

  1. Of or like a sapphire; of a deep blue colour.

Word family

  • star sapphire
  • white sapphire
  • ruby
  • corundum
  • lapis lazuli

References

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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sapphire.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sapphire. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·