crystallum

Latin

Alternative forms

cristallum

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κρύσταλλος (krústallos, “ice”), from κρύος (krúos, “icy cold, chill, frost”). The reasoning behind the change from masculine to neuter is unknown.

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /krysˈtal.lum/, [krʏs̠ˈt̪älːʲʊ̃ˑ]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /krisˈtal.lum/, [krisˈt̪älːum]

Noun

crystallum n (genitive crystallī); second declension

a crystal
a thing made from crystal
(by extension) a gem or stone resembling crystal

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	crystallum	crystalla
Genitive	crystallī	crystallōrum
Dative	crystallō	crystallīs
Accusative	crystallum	crystalla
Ablative	crystallō	crystallīs
Vocative	crystallum	crystalla

Descendants

→ Albanian: kristal
→ Asturian: cristal
→ Basque: kristal
→ Czech: krystal
→ Finnish: kristalli
→ Hungarian: kristály
→ Italian: cristallo
→ Latvian: kristāls
→ Malagasy: kristaly
→ Norwegian: krystall
→ Old Catalan: crestall, christall
- Catalan: cristall
→ Old English: cristalla
- Middle English: crystal
  - English: crystal (see there for further descendants)
  - → Welsh: grisial, crisial
→ Old French: cristal (see there for further descendants)
→ Old High German: cristalla
- Middle High German: kristal, kristall
  - German: Kristall (see there for further descendants)
  - Hunsrik: Kristall
  - Luxembourgish: Kristall
→ Old Irish: cristall
- Irish: criostal
→ Old Galician-Portuguese: cristal, crestal
- Galician: cristal
- Portuguese: cristal
→ Old Spanish: cristal
- Ladino: kristal
- Spanish: cristal
  - → Tagalog: kristal
→ Polish: kryształ
→ Russian: кристалл (kristall) (see there for further descendants)
→ Swedish: kristall

References

“crystallum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
crystallum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.