• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did Agate get its name and Where does the word “Agate” come from?

How did Agate get its name and Where does the word “Agate” come from?

May 1, 2020 by Karen Hill

Agate is a gem or semiprecious stone of quartz, waxy in texture and marked by bands of color.

The name was formerly and should still be achate (pronounced ak’ate), after the Sicilian river Achates, near which, according to Pliny, the stone was first found.

Related Facts

  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • How did prehistoric humans transport and arrange the giant boulders at Stonehenge?
  • How did the ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid at Giza?
  • How does a diamond cutter cut a diamond and How many different cuts are there?
  • What Is the Largest Gem in the World?
  • Where did the Hope diamond come from and How was the Hope diamond discovered?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “Surly” come from and What does Surly mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “Porterhouse” come from and What does Porterhouse mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy