corundum, history.1, gems

Littré’s monumental Dictionnaire de la langue française provides definitions, etymologies, historical usages, pronunciation, grammatical information, and numerous literary citations illustrating the development of French vocabulary. Compiled from an extensive range of texts from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century, it traces changes in meaning and usage and records technical as well as ordinary language. Of particular value to gemological and mineralogical research are entries for precious stones, minerals, jewelry, lapidary terminology, colors, and related technical terms, often accompanied by etymological information and quotations demonstrating their historical use. The work remains an important source for interpreting French mineralogical, gemological, and lapidary terminology in historical texts.