marble

Where does the word "marble" come from? It comes from Greek marmaros, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1200s).

Marble’s story begins in Greek: marmaros meant “shining stone.” Shining stone, from marmairein (to shine, sparkle). By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as marmor. Carried into Latin for the polished, crystalline rock. From there it passed into Old French as marbre by medieval. Carried into French for the same prized building stone. It reached English by 1200s as marble. Settled as the English word for the crystalline metamorphic rock. Today, marble means a hard crystalline rock, prized for sculpture and building, formed from recrystallized limestone.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient marmaros "shining stone", shining stone, from marmairein (to shine, sparkle).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient marmor "the polished, crystalline rock", carried into Latin for the polished, crystalline rock.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval marbre "the prized building stone", carried into French for the same prized building stone.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1200s marble "a crystalline metamorphic rock used in sculpture and building", settled as the English word for the crystalline metamorphic rock.