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quartz

a hard crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen

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Where does the word "quartz" come from? It comes from German Quarz, and was adopted directly into English (1750s).

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Where does the word "quartz" come from? It comes from German Quarz, and was adopted directly into English (1750s).

Quartz’s story begins in German: Quarz meant “a hard crystalline mineral.” Possibly from a Slavic word related to hard, describing the common crystalline mineral. It reached English by 1750s as quartz. Settled as the English name for the common mineral. Today, quartz means a hard crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen.

  1. Stage 1 · German · medieval Quarz "a hard crystalline mineral", possibly from a Slavic word related to hard, describing the common crystalline mineral.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1750s quartz "a hard crystalline mineral", settled as the English name for the common mineral.

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