English
porphyry
Porphyry comes from Ancient Greek πορφυρίτης λίθος ‘purple stone’, and goes back to πορφύρα.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύραporphúra‘purple-fish, purple dye’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπορφυρίτης λίθοςporphurítēs líthos‘purple stone’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400porfire
- Englishearliest quotation 1980porphyry
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπορφύραporphúra‘purple-fish, purple dye’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπορφυρίτης λίθοςporphurítēs líthos‘purple stone’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400porfire
- Englishearliest quotation 1980porphyry
Earliest quotation: 1980, Colin Thubron, Seafarers: The Venetians: “A quartet of porphyry warriors, locked for all time…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- ‘to boil’
brand, burn, bread, brew, bourbon, broth, bourne, brunt, brim, fervent, ferment, fervor, bren, effervescent, broil, briny, 40 more
through Ancient Greek πορφύρα ‘purple-fish, purple dye’
Today it means
noun A hard igneous rock consisting of large crystals in a fine-grained matrix.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek πορφύρα / porphyry