English
crystalline
Crystalline comes from Latin crystallinus ‘crystal’, and goes back to Ancient Greek κρύος ‘cold’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρύοςkrúos‘cold’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρύσταλλοςkrústallos‘crystal’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρυστάλλινοςkrustállinos‘of crystal’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrystallinus‘crystal’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cristallin
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cristallyn
- Englishearliest quotation 1769crystalline
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκρύοςkrúos‘cold’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρύσταλλοςkrústallos‘crystal’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκρυστάλλινοςkrustállinos‘of crystal’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrystallinus‘crystal’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cristallin
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cristallyn
- Englishearliest quotation 1769crystalline
Earliest quotation: 1769, Firishta, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi: “There the roſy-finger'd Spring, by the liquid mirror of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *krews- ‘to freeze, harden’
through Ancient Greek κρύος ‘cold’
Today it means
adj Of, relating to, or composed of crystals.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek κρύος / crystalline