corundum

Where does the word "corundum" come from? It comes from Sanskrit kuruvinda, passing through Tamil before entering English (1728).

Corundum’s story begins in Sanskrit: kuruvinda meant “ruby; a hard red gem.” Named the hard red gemstone, ruby. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Tamil as kurundam. The South Indian word for ruby and sapphire. It reached English by 1728 as corundum. Adopted via Anglo-Indian contact as the mineralogical name. Today, corundum means an extremely hard crystalline form of aluminum oxide; its gem varieties are ruby and sapphire.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient kuruvinda "ruby; a hard red gem", named the hard red gemstone, ruby.
2. Stage 2 · Tamil · medieval kurundam "ruby, sapphire", the South Indian word for ruby and sapphire.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1728 corundum "a very hard crystalline mineral, the source of ruby and sapphire", adopted via Anglo-Indian contact as the mineralogical name.