metal

Where does the word "metal" come from? It comes from Greek metallon, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Metal’s story begins in Greek: metallon meant “a mine, ore.” A mine, that which is quarried or dug up. It reached English by 1300s as metal. Settled as the English word for a hard, shiny, conductive material. Today, metal means a hard, shiny material, typically conducting heat and electricity, such as iron or gold.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient metallon "a mine, ore", a mine, that which is quarried or dug up.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s metal "a hard, shiny, conductive material such as iron or gold", settled as the English word for a hard, shiny, conductive material.