## Etymology
From Old French safir, from Latin sapphirus, from Ancient Greek sáppheiros ('blue stone, lapis lazuli'), probably ultimately from a Semitic source (compare Hebrew sappīr).

## AI Etymology
Sapphire comes from Old French safir, from Latin sapphirus, from Ancient Greek sáppheiros ('blue stone, lapis lazuli'), probably ultimately from a Semitic source (compare Hebrew sappīr). The historical chain includes Latin sapphirus and Ancient Greek sáppheiros. Older glosses in the chain include "blue stone, lapis lazuli", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, sapphire is best read as borrowing, yielding an English noun and adjective shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun and adjective, with the sense "a precious gemstone of corundum, typically a deep blue". English derivatives include sapphirine. The result is an English noun and adjective whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown

sapphire

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback