Brille
/ˈbrɪl/noun
A transparent protective scale covering the eye of a snake or some other limbless reptiles.
Did you know?“Brille” is related to “beryl,” because medieval lenses were associated with the transparent gemstone; the word later became German for spectacles before entering English zoology.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷer-
“To shine or be bright; a proposed deeper root behind the beryl word family.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
bēryllos
“Beryl, a pale or greenish precious stone.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
beryllus
“Beryl; the gemstone name was also associated with transparent materials used for viewing.”
Middle Ages
Old French
beril
“Beryl or a beryl-like transparent stone.”
14th–15th Century
German
Brille
“Spectacles or eyeglasses, traditionally linked to lenses made from or associated with beryl.”
19th Century
English
brille
“The transparent scale covering a snake’s eye, borrowed in zoological usage from German.”
Explore more surprising origins