close
Advertisement

Origin and history of zircon

zircon(n.)

yellowish mineral occurring in crystal form, 1794, circon, also jargon, a new name given in chemistry to jacinth, from German Zirkon (Klaproth, 1789), which probably is from 18c. French jargon, a vague mineral word used of high-quality diamond-like gemstones.

This has been traced to Medieval Latin jargonce, which is of uncertain origin. Compare Italian giargone, from the same source. Century Dictionary suggests Arabic zarkun "cinnabar." Related: Zirconic; zirconian; zirconate.

also from 1794

Entries linking to zircon

jacinth(n.)

c. 1200, iacinct, a blue gem (occasionally a red one), from Old French jacinte, iacinte "hyacinth; jacinth," or directly from Late Latin iacintus (see hyacinth).

In modern use, a reddish-orange gem. The word is hyacinth with the h- lost and the initial -i- made consonantal (forms in j- begin to be attested late 14c.; see J).

zirconium(n.)

metallic chemical element, 1808, coined in Modern Latin by German chemist and mineralogist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817) in 1789; so called because it was obtained from zircon. With-ium, name-ending of metallic elements.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    mineral
    late 14c., "substance obtained by mining," from Old French mineral and directly from Medieval Latin minerale "something mined," noun use of neuter of mineralis "pertaining to mines," from minera "a mine" (see mine (n.1)). Meaning "material substance that is neither animal nor veg
    hyacinth
    1550s, "the plant hyacinth;" re-Greeked from jacinth (late 14c.) "hyacinth; blue cornflower," which earlier was the name of a precious stone blue (rarely red) in color (c. 1200), from Old French jacinte and Medieval Latin jacintus, ultimately from Greek hyakinthos, which is proba
    jargon
    mid-14c., "unintelligible talk, gibberish; chattering, jabbering," from Old French jargon "a chattering" (of birds), also "language, speech," especially "idle talk; thieves' Latin" (12c.). Ultimately of echoic origin (compare Latin garrire "to chatter"). From 1640s as "mixed spee
    nightcap
    also night-cap, late 14c., "covering for the head, worn in bed," from night + cap (n.). In the alcoholic sense, it is attested from 1818. American English sense of "final event in a sporting contest" (especially the second game of a baseball double-header) is by 1924. Sunday's b
    precipitate
    1520s, "to hurl or fling down" (from a precipice or height), a back formation from precipitation or else from Latin praecipitatus, past participle of praecipitare "to throw or dive headlong; be hasty," from praeceps (genitive praecipitis) "steep, headlong, headfirst," from prae "
    Mississippi
    originally the name of the river, from the French rendering of an Algonquian name (French missionaries first penetrated the river valley in its upper reaches) meaning "big river;" compare Ojibwa mshi- "big," ziibi "river." Organized as a U.S. territory 1798; admitted as a state 1
    cipher
    late 14c., "arithmetical symbol for zero," from Old French cifre "nought, zero," Medieval Latin cifra, which, with Spanish and Italian cifra, ultimately is from Arabic sifr "zero," literally "empty, nothing," from safara "to be empty;" a loan-translation of Sanskrit sunya-s "empt
    folk
    Old English folc "common people, laity; men; people, nation, tribe; multitude; troop, army," from Proto-Germanic *fulka- (source also of Old Saxon folc, Old Frisian folk, Middle Dutch volc, Dutch volk, Old High German folc, German Volk "people"). Perhaps originally "host of warri
    thesis
    late 14c., "unaccented syllable or note," from Latin thesis "unaccented syllable in poetry," later (and more correctly) "stressed part of a metrical foot," from Greek thesis "a proposition," also "downbeat" (in music), originally "a setting down, a placing, an arranging; position
    law
    Old English lagu (plural laga, combining form lah-) "ordinance, rule prescribed by authority, regulation; district governed by the same laws;" also sometimes "right, legal privilege," from Old Norse *lagu "law," collective plural of lag "layer, measure, stroke," literally "someth

    Share zircon

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near zircon
    Advertisement