pearl

Where does the word "pearl" come from? It comes from Latin perna, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Pearl’s story begins in Latin: perna meant “a mussel shell.” Possibly related to a word for a leg or ham, describing the mussel's shape. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as perle. Carried into French for the lustrous gem formed inside a mollusk. It reached English by 1300s as pearl. Settled as the English word for the lustrous gem. Today, pearl means a smooth, lustrous gem formed within the shell of certain mollusks.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient perna "a mussel shell", possibly related to a word for a leg or ham, describing the mussel's shape.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval perle "a lustrous gem from a mollusk", carried into French for the lustrous gem formed inside a mollusk.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s pearl "a lustrous gem formed inside a mollusk", settled as the English word for the lustrous gem.