Origin of the
Word "Diamond"
A rough diamond in kimberlite.
Origin of the word diamond was derived from the Greek word adamao (meaning “I subdue” or “I tame”), which led to the words adamas and adamant (meaning extremely hard). The old French word diamant and the English words dyamaund and adamaund likely came from the Greek word adimantum or its variation adamant. The present-day spelling came in the mid16th century.