amethyst Transparent, violet variety of crystallized quartz, containing more iron oxide than other varieties. It is found mainly in Brazil, Uruguay, Ontario, Canada, and North Carolina, USA. Amethyst is valued as a semi-precious gem.

am·e·thyst / ˈamə[unvoicedth]əst/ • n. a precious stone consisting of a violet or purple variety of quartz. ∎  a violet or purple color.DERIVATIVES: am·e·thys·tine / ˌaməˈ[unvoicedth]istin; -ˌtīn/ adj.

Amethyst

Gemstone believed to have occult properties, described by sixteenth-century writer Camillus Leonardus as "reckoned among the purple and transparent stones, mixed with a violet colour, emitting rosy sparkles." The Indian variety is the most precious. When made into drinking cups or bound on the navel, it was claimed to prevent drunkenness. It was also believed to sharpen the wit, turn away evil thoughts, and give a knowledge of the future in dreams. Drunk in a potion, it was thought to expel poison and render the barren fruitful. In ancient times it was frequently engraved with the head of Bacchus and was a favorite with Roman women.

amethyst XIII. ME. amatist(e), ametist — OF. ama-, ametiste — L. amethystus — Gr. améthustos, sb. use (sc. lithos stone) of adj. f. A-4 + *méthustos, f. méthu wine, MEAD1; the stone was supposed to prevent intoxication. In XVI remodelled with -th- after later F. and L.

amethyst a precious stone consisting of a violet or purple variety of quartz, traditionally supposed to prevent drunkenness. Recorded from Middle English, the word comes via Old French and Latin amethustos ‘not drunken’.