Rhetine
/ˈrɛtɪn/noun
A fossil resin resembling amber, especially one derived from ancient coniferous trees.
Did you know?Rhetine belongs to the same linguistic family as resin and rosin, words ultimately connected to the resin-producing trees that supplied incense, varnish, and ritual substances.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ret-
“To run or flow; a proposed root associated with flowing resin”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥητίνη (rhētínē)
“Resin, especially pine resin”
Late Latin
Latin
resina
“Resin or gum exuded by trees”
Middle French
French
rétine / rhétine
“Fossil resin or resinous substance”
17th–18th Century
English
rhetine
“A fossil resin resembling amber”
Modern English
English
rhetine
“A rare mineralogical or obsolete term for fossil resin”