Lazuli
/ˈlæzjʊli/noun
A deep blue semiprecious stone, especially lapis lazuli.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Persian *lāzhward*, the name of a blue stone and a blue-colored place, which passed through Arabic and Medieval Latin before English inherited it as part of *lapis lazuli*.
Etymological Timeline
Persian antiquity
Persian
lāzhward
“A blue stone; also a place associated with blue stone or blue color”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
lāzaward
“A blue gemstone and blue pigment”
Medieval Latin
Latin
lazulum
“Blue stone; lapis lazuli”
14th Century
English
lazuli
“The blue stone lapis lazuli, especially in the phrase lapis lazuli”
Modern English
English
lazuli
“Used in the name of the gemstone lapis lazuli”