Friday word: Smaragdine

[med_cat]

smaragdine, adj. \smə-ˈrag-dən, ˈsma-rəg-ˌdīn\ adjective


1. emerald-green in color.
2. of or relating to emeralds.
3. Rare. emerald

Examples:

The big doors to the water were open, giving an occasional draft of welcome cool air, and you could see smudges of black woodsmoke drifting out over the smaragdine brightness of the harbor.

S. M. Stirling, Island in the Sea of Time, 1998

He loomed above them turning his head back and forth with malevolent smaragdine-colored eyes.

Byron Tetrick, "The Collegeum of Mauge," Songs of the Dying Earth, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, 2009

Etymology:

Greek
1350-1400
The Greek words smáragdos, máragdos “emerald” are not Greek in origin. Most likely the words are borrowed from Prakrit (any of the ancient or medieval Indic languages, e.g., Pali, the language of the Buddha, derived from Sanskrit) maragada- (from Sanskrit marakata), and are related to Akkadian barraqtu and Hebrew bāreqeth “gemstone, emerald,” from the Semitic root brq “to shine, flash.”

Smaragdine entered English in the 14th century.

(Source: Dictionary.com Word of the Day)

Comments

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

So the borrowing is Semitic > Indic > Greek, or is there another more likely path? And is the Indic likely to be the Indian or Iranian/Persian branch?

---L.

[med_cat]

I don't really know--there doesn't appear much more info about the etymology online--at least none that I can find with a quick search.