diamond的词源
英文词源
- diamond
- diamond: [13] Diamond is an alteration of adamant, a rather archaic term which nowadays refers to hard substances in general, but formerly was also used specifically for ‘diamond’. The alteration appears to have come about in Latin of post-classical times: adamant- (stem of Latin adamas) evidently became Vulgar Latin *adimant- (source of French aimant ‘magnet’), which appears to have opened the way to confusion, or at least association, with words beginning dia-. The result was medieval Latin diamant-, which passed into English via Old French diamant.
=> adamant - diamond (n.)
- early 14c., from Old French diamant, from Medieval Latin diamantem (nominative diamas), from Vulgar Latin *adiamantem (altered by influence of the many Greek words in dia-), from Latin adamantem (nominative adamans) "the hardest metal," later, "diamond" (see adamant). Playing card suit is from 1590s; Sense in baseball is American English, 1875.
中文词源
英语单词diamond（钻石）和adamant（坚硬无比的）其实是同源单词，都源自希腊语adamas，由a（not） daman（to conquer, totame）组合而成，字面意思就是“不可征服的、坚不可摧的”。希腊人用adamas来表示钻石这一类坚硬无比的物质，由此衍生出diamond和adamant这两个英语单词。其中diamond的演变路径比较复杂，为：希腊语adamas→古拉丁语adamantem→通俗拉丁语adiamantem→中世纪拉丁语diamantem→古法语diamant→英语diamond。而单词adamant的演变路径相对简单，为：希腊语adamas→古拉丁语adamantem→英语adamant。
diamond：['daɪəmənd]n.钻石，金刚石，菱形adj.菱形的，金刚石的
adamant：['ædəm(ə)nt]adj.坚硬无比的，固执的，坚定的n.坚硬的东西
该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：diamond 词源，diamond 含义。
来自拉丁语adamans, 不可驯服的，词源同adamant. a-, 不，非，-dam, 同tame, 驯服。用来指钻石。
