English
granite
Granite comes from Italian granire ‘to granulate’, from grano ‘grain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- ‘to grow old, to mature’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵerh₂-‘to grow old, to mature’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵr̥h₂nóm‘grain’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*grānom‘grain’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānum‘grain’
- Italianc. 1300–presentgrano‘grain’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgranire‘to granulate’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgranito
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgranit
- Englishearliest quotation 1963granite
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵerh₂-‘to grow old, to mature’root as named
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵr̥h₂nóm‘grain’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*grānom‘grain’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgrānum‘grain’
- Italianc. 1300–presentgrano‘grain’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgranire‘to granulate’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentgranito
- Frenchc. 1600–presentgranit
- Englishearliest quotation 1963granite
Earliest quotation: 1963, Margery Allingham, London: Chatto & Windus: “‘Then the father has a great fight with his…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- ‘to grow old, to mature’
carl, karl, corny, garnet, geriatrics, churlish, 12 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm ‘grain’
through Latin grānum ‘grain’
grain, garner, gram, granger, grange, granular, grenadier, granary, granule, 5 more
Today it means
noun A group of igneous and plutonic rocks composed primarily of feldspar and quartz. Usually contains one or more dark minerals, which may be mica, pyroxene, or amphibole. Granite is quarried for building stone, road gravel, decorative stone, and tombstones. Common colors are gray, white, pink, and yellow-brown.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- / granite