- sapphire
- 1272, from O.Fr. saphir (12c.), from L. sapphirus (cf. Sp. zafir, It. zaffiro), from Gk. sappheiros "blue stone" (the gem meant apparently was not the one that now has the name, but perhaps rather "lapis lazuli," the modern sapphire perhaps signified by Gk. hyakinthos), from a Semitic source (cf. Heb. sappir "sapphire"), but probably not ult. from Semitic; some linguists propose an origin in Skt. sanipriya, a dark precious stone (perhaps sapphire or emerald), lit. "sacred to Saturn," from Sani "Saturn" + priyah "precious." In Renaissance lapidaries, it was said to cure anger and stupidity.
- corundum
- 1728, from Anglo-Ind., from Tamil kurundam "ruby sapphire" (Skt. kuruvinda).
- jacinth
- c.1230, an ancient blue gem (probably sapphire), from O.Fr. iacinte, from L. hyacinthus (see hyacinth). In modern use, a reddish-orange gem.
- hyacinth
- 1553 in this form; earlier jacinth (1230), from Gk. hyakinthos, probably ult. from a non-I.E. Mediterranean language. Used in ancient Greece of a blue gem, perhaps sapphire, and of a purple or deep red flower, but exactly which one is unknown (gladiolus, iris, and larkspur have been suggested). Fabled to have sprouted from the blood of Hyakinthos, youth beloved by Apollo and accidentally slain by him. The flower is said to have the letters "AI" or "AIAI" on its petals. The modern use in ref. to a flowering plant genus is from 1578.
- adamant (adj.)
- late 14c., "hard, unbreakable," from earlier noun (O.E. ašamans) meaning "a very hard stone," from L. adamantem (nom. adamas), from Gk. adamas (gen. adamantos) "unbreakable," the name of a hypothetical hardest material, perhaps lit. "invincible," from a- "not" + daman "to conquer, to tame" (see tame), or else a word of foreign origin altered to conform to Gk. Applied in antiquity to white sapphire, magnet (perhaps via confusion with L. adamare "to love passionately"), steel, emery stone, and especially diamond (see diamond). Figurative sense of "unshakeable" first recorded 1670s.