ultramarine

Where does the word "ultramarine" come from? It comes from Latin ultra marinus, passing through Italian before entering English (1500s).

Ultramarine’s story begins in Latin: ultra marinus meant “beyond the sea.” Beyond the sea, from ultra (beyond) and marinus (of the sea). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as oltremarino. Describing the deep blue pigment ground from lapis lazuli imported from beyond the sea. It reached English by 1500s as ultramarine. Settled as the English word for the deep vivid blue pigment and color. Today, ultramarine means a deep, vivid blue color, originally from a pigment made from lapis lazuli.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient ultra marinus "beyond the sea", beyond the sea, from ultra (beyond) and marinus (of the sea).
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval oltremarino "the imported deep blue pigment", describing the deep blue pigment ground from lapis lazuli imported from beyond the sea.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s ultramarine "a deep vivid blue pigment and color", settled as the English word for the deep vivid blue pigment and color.