Aquamarine
/ˌæk.wə.məˈriːn/noun
A blue-green variety of beryl, or a blue-green color resembling seawater.
Did you know?Aquamarine comes from Latin aqua marina, and medieval writers used that same sea-color imagery for stones believed to calm the waves and protect sailors.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
aqua marina
“sea water; seawater”
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
aquamarina
“a sea-colored stone or sea-water color”
16th Century
French
aigue marine / aigue-marine
“a blue-green gemstone”
17th Century
English
aquamarine
“a sea-colored beryl gemstone”
Modern English
English
aquamarine
“a blue-green gemstone and color”