Pallasite
/ˈpæl.ə.saɪt/noun
A stony-iron meteorite containing large olivine crystals in a nickel-iron matrix.
Did you know?Pallasites are named after the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, who studied one of the first famous meteorites, so the word’s mystique is historical rather than occult.
Etymological Timeline
1800s
German
Pallasit
“A meteorite of a particular stony-iron type, named from Pallas”
1802
English
pallasite
“Scientific term adopted for a stony-iron meteorite”
Late 18th Century
Latinized name
Pallas
“The surname of Peter Simon Pallas, the naturalist associated with the meteorite”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Pallás
“Name associated with Athena; also used in classical tradition as a divine epithet or personal name”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pel-
“To strike, beat, or drive”