Topaz
/ˈtoʊ.pæz/noun
A yellow to colorless gemstone, a silicate mineral prized in jewelry.
Did you know?Ancient writers used the name for a different yellow-green stone, and the word’s earliest trail likely runs through Greek and Latin from a Red Sea island called Topazos (or Topazion), whose exact identity is still debated.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
τοπάζιον (topázion)
“A yellowish gemstone, often not the modern topaz”
Latin
Lat
topazus
“A precious stone, especially yellow or golden in color”
Old French
OF
topace
“Topaz; the gemstone”
Middle English
ME
topace
“The gemstone topaz”
Modern English
En
topaz
“A gemstone, especially a transparent yellow silicate mineral”