tourmaline

Where does the word "tourmaline" come from? It comes from Sinhalese turamali, passing through Dutch before entering English (1759).

Tourmaline’s story begins in Sinhalese: turamali meant “mixed colored gemstones.” A name used by gem traders in Sri Lanka for mixed colored gemstones. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Dutch as tourmalijn. Adapted from Sinhalese by Dutch traders bringing the gemstone to Europe. It reached English by 1759 as tourmaline. Settled as the English word for the crystalline gemstone. Today, tourmaline means a crystalline mineral gemstone found in a wide range of colors.

1. Stage 1 · Sinhalese · unknown turamali "mixed colored gemstones", a name used by gem traders in Sri Lanka for mixed colored gemstones.
2. Stage 2 · Dutch · 1700s tourmalijn "the multicolored gemstone", adapted from Sinhalese by Dutch traders bringing the gemstone to Europe.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1759 tourmaline "a crystalline gemstone found in many colors", settled as the English word for the crystalline gemstone.