diamond

Where does the word "diamond" come from? It comes from Greek adamas, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Diamond’s story begins in Greek: adamas meant “unconquerable, invincible.” Literally unconquerable, describing the hardest known substance. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as diamant. Carried through Latin into French gemstone vocabulary. It reached English by 1300s as diamond. Settled as the English word for the precious clear gemstone. Today, diamond means a precious gemstone formed of crystallized carbon, the hardest natural substance.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient adamas "unconquerable, invincible", literally unconquerable, describing the hardest known substance.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval diamant "a hard, precious clear gemstone", carried through Latin into French gemstone vocabulary.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s diamond "a hard, precious clear gemstone", settled as the English word for the precious clear gemstone.