onyx (English)
Where does "onyx" come from?
The English word 'onyx' entered the language in the Middle English period as 'oniche' around 1250 and later as 'onix' around 1300[1]. It was borrowed through Old French 'oniche' or 'onix'[1], which derived from Latin 'onyx'[1][4]. The Romans had adapted the term from Ancient Greek 'ὄνυξ', originally meaning 'nail' or 'claw' as well as referring to the gemstone[1][2][3]. Ultimately, the Greek word traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₃negʰ-', which meant 'nail'[3].
Open questions
- The connection between the gemstone sense and the anatomical meaning of nail is uncertain, as it may stem from the mineral's nail-like appearance or from a foreign borrowing reshaped by folk etymology. [3]
- Some Middle English forms of the word may have been adopted directly from Latin rather than through Old French. [4]
Full etymology tree
- onyx (English), 'A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.'
- inherited onix (Middle English), 'alternative form of oniche'
- derived oniche (Middle English), 'onyx'
- borrowed oniche (Old French)
- derived onyx (Latin), 'onyx, yellow marble'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- inherited *h₃nṓgʰs (Proto-Indo-European), 'nail (of the finger or toe)'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- derived onyx (Latin), 'onyx, yellow marble'
- borrowed oniche (Old French)
- borrowed onix (Old French)
- derived onyx (Latin), 'onyx, yellow marble'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- inherited *h₃nṓgʰs (Proto-Indo-European), 'nail (of the finger or toe)'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- derived onyx (Latin), 'onyx, yellow marble'
- borrowed onyx (Latin), 'onyx, yellow marble'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- inherited *h₃nṓgʰs (Proto-Indo-European), 'nail (of the finger or toe)'
- borrowed ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek), 'claw, nail, hoof, talon'
- derived oniche (Middle English), 'onyx'
- inherited onix (Middle English), 'alternative form of oniche'
Ancestors
- *h₃nṓgʰs (Proto-Indo-European)
- onix (Middle English)
- onyx (Latin)
- ὄνυξ (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- unguis (English)
Descendants and derived words
- onyx marble (English)
Sources
- onyx (English) - Wiktionary
- onyx (Latin) - Wiktionary
- ὄνυξ (ónux) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- oniche (Middle English) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris