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Gneiss

2 stages from German to English.

Today it means a coarse-grained banded metamorphic rock

Where does the word "gneiss" come from? It comes from German Gneis, adopted directly into English (1750s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
Gneis
German · 1700s
"gneiss"
a word of the Saxon miners, perhaps from Old High German 'gneisto', spark
2
Stage 2 of 2
gneiss
English · 1750s
"gneiss"
taken up with German geology, then the world's leader
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Gneiss’s story begins in German: Gneis meant “gneiss.” A word of the Saxon miners, perhaps from Old High German 'gneisto', spark. It reached English by 1750s as gneiss. Taken up with German geology, then the world's leader. Today, gneiss means a coarse-grained banded metamorphic rock.