Adamantine
/ˌæd.əˈmæn.taɪn/noun
Extremely hard, unyielding, or inflexible.
Did you know?In classical tradition, the root behind *adamantine* was tied to an almost mythic, unconquerable substance, which later fed into the word *diamond* through medieval confusion over the hardest stone.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ed-
“to be hard, firm”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀδάμας (adámas)
“unconquerable, untamed; later a name for very hard metal or stone”
Late Latin
Latin
adamantinus
“of adamant; made of or like adamant”
Old French
Old French
adamantin
“adamantine, hard like adamant”
Middle English
English
adamantyn
“hard as adamant; unyielding”
Modern English
English
adamantine
“extremely hard or unyielding”