Hematite
/ˈhɛm.ə.taɪt/noun
A common iron oxide mineral, often reddish-brown or metallic gray, used as an ore of iron and as a pigment.
Did you know?The name comes from Greek haimatitēs, from haima meaning “blood,” because powdered hematite can leave a deep red streak that ancient observers linked to blood.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sh₂éymn̥
“blood”
Ancient Greek
Greek
haîma
“blood”
Ancient Greek
Greek
haimatítēs líthos
“blood-red stone; a red iron ore”
Late Latin
Latin
haematites
“hematite, the bloodstone-like mineral”
Middle English
English
hematite
“the iron oxide mineral”
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