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It comes from two Latin words: "Aqua" (Latin for water) and "marina" (Latin for sea). Aqua marina (sea water) became anglicized as aquamarine (a color the color of sea water).
It can be thought of as a compound word, although a somewhat strange one since one would was left in Latin, the other anglicized.
Apparently no one on this Forum knows how to use Google to search for the full meaning of words. Aquamarine is a reference to a color and to a gemstone known as aquamarine in the English Language. The fact there are two separate parts to the word hints that it is an evolved word that tells some kind of story about where it was derived from. The first part of the word is obviously derived from knowledge of whatever language used the term for water. The second half is from the maritime environment and what ever languages use it that way. I didn't search for any other meanings of the two words but the term itself seems to be derived from the use to describe something clear as water which is where the name as a gemstone comes into play as an English word. It is possible the word is used in other languages as well but the discussion here seems to be confined to the English usage.
Last edited by richelles; 04-09-2014 at 09:58 PM..
Apparently no one on this Forum knows how to use Google to search for the full meaning of words...
If you don't wish to include yourself in that statement you will need to say "Apparently I am the only one on this Forum who knows how to use Google to search for the full meaning of words."
Thanks for your feedback. My daughter is being told by her teacher that it "doesn't count" because "aqua" is Spanish.
The teacher is right in that the word is NOT a compound word, but her reason is wrong. The word "aqua" is actually a shortened form of the word "aquamarine," in other words, they are the same word.
Quote:
Originally Posted by middle-aged mom
Two words combine to create a new word is a compound.
Just because a word happens to contain two other words does not mean it is a compound word. The words must be combined with a purpose to create a new word that contains the meanings of the original words.
Examples of compound words include: classroom, aircraft, bookshelf, tumbleweed, etc.
Some words are made up of two other words, but they are not compound words. For example:
Word 1: Con - verb - to persuade someone to do or believe something, typically by deception.
Word 2: Science - noun - The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
Both are legitimate words in the English language. However, if I combine them together, I get conscience - an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior.
Conscience is not a compound word.
The same could be said for words like crawdad, luncheon, and marring.
Aqua is a word in the English language meaning blue-green or turquoise. Marine is a word pertaining to the sea. When you put two words together you get a compound word. Aquamarine must be a compound word. Aqua + marine. It is often used to describe a gemstone that is blue-green and the color of the ocean.
aqueduct, aquaculture, aquaplane--examples of other compound words using aqua. Aqueduct is made from two Latin words: aqua and ductus, meaning to lead or guide. An aqueduct transports (in a way it guides water.)
Whether it is derived from Latin (which of course it is) has no bearing on whether the English word is part of a compound word. That's the way I see it and it makes you wonder what that teacher is thinking.
Aqua is a word in the English language meaning blue-green or turquoise. Marine is a word pertaining to the sea. When you put two words together you get a compound word. Aquamarine must be a compound word. Aqua + marine. It is often used to describe a gemstone that is blue-green and the color of the ocean.
aqueduct, aquaculture, aquaplane--examples of other compound words using aqua. Aqueduct is made from two Latin words: aqua and ductus, meaning to lead or guide. An aqueduct transports (in a way it guides water.)
Whether it is derived from Latin (which of course it is) has no bearing on whether the English word is part of a compound word. That's the way I see it and it makes you wonder what that teacher is thinking.
It makes me wonder too because aqua is prefix and aquamarie is not a compound word..link
Marine is used in English as a reference to the sea.
Either word can stand alone.
Aquamarine is a compound word in English.
Aquamarine ... from the sea.
... like a saltwater aquarium with starfish and clownfish.
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