Jade
/dʒeɪd/noun
A hard, typically green gemstone used in jewelry and carving; also a greenish color.
Did you know?The English word jade comes through Spanish piedra de ijada, literally “stone of the flank,” because people believed it could cure kidney pain and drive out hidden bodily curses.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ey-
“to go or move”
Latin
Latin
ilia
“the flank, side of the body”
Medieval Latin
Latin
lapis nephriticus
““kidney stone,” a stone thought to help ailments of the kidneys”
16th Century
Spanish
piedra de ijada
““stone of the flank,” a healing stone for pain in the side or kidneys”
16th–17th Century
French
jade
“the green ornamental stone”
Modern English
English
jade
“the hard green gemstone and the color name”