English
tonstein
Tonstein comes from German Tonstein ‘claystone’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentTonstein‘claystone’
- Englishearliest quotation 1990tonstein
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentTonstein‘claystone’
- Englishearliest quotation 1990tonstein
Earliest quotation: 1990, W.F. Outerbridge, P.C. Lyons: “Tonsteins, which are altered volcanic ash, mark instantaneous events…”
A compound of Ton ‘clay’ + Stein ‘stone’
Proto-Indo-European *tenk- ‘to thicken, be solid’
Proto-Germanic *þanhǭ
Old High German thāha
Middle High German dāhen
German Ton ‘clay’
Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- ‘to stiffen’
Proto-Indo-European *stóyh₂nos
Proto-Germanic *stainaz ‘stone’
Proto-West Germanic *stain ‘stone’
Old High German stein ‘stone’
Middle High German stein ‘stone’
German Stein ‘stone’
Every English word from German Tonstein
Today it means
noun A hard, compact, kaolinite-rich claystone formed by the diagenetic alteration of volcanic ash, usually occurring as thin, laterally persistent layers interbedded with coal seams.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Tonstein / tonstein