Etymology

opal

O1P3A1L1

Today it means: A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O. Full definition →

French opale ← Latin opalu ← Medieval Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upéri
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranian*upári
  4. Sanskritउ॒परि॑ (upári)
  5. Sanskritउपल (upala)
  6. Medieval Greekὀπάλλιος (opállios)
  7. Latinopalu
  8. Frenchopale
  9. English todayopal

In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Medieval Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”). Distantly related to over.

First known use, by meaning

  • Developed 2005. A type of petrol made by British Petroleum designed to be unable to be used for petrol sniffing.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.