Iaspis
/ˈja.spɪs/noun
An archaic name for jasper, a hard, opaque, usually brightly colored mineral.
Did you know?The word entered European languages through Greek and Latin, and in antiquity jasper was prized not just as a gem but as a protective stone in amulets and sacred objects.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἴασπις (íaspis)
“a jasper stone; a precious or semi-precious stone”
Biblical Greek
Greek
ἴασπις
“jasper, often listed among the stones of sacred or heavenly imagery”
Latin
Latin
iaspis
“jasper; the gemstone”
Old French
OFr
jaspre / jaspe
“jasper”
Middle English
English
jaspre / jasper
“the stone jasper”
Modern English
English
jasper
“a hard, opaque ornamental stone; also a reddish-brown variety of quartz”