مرقشيتا

• مَرْقَشِيثَا (marqašīṯā), مَارْقَشِيتَا (mārqašītā), مَارْقَشِيثَا (mārqašīṯā)

From Aramaic מַרְקְשִׁיתָא / ܡܰܪܩܫܺܝܬܴܐ (marqəšīṯā, “marcasite”), from Akkadian 𒉌𒌓𒍝𒄢𒈥𒄩𒅆𒌅 (^NA₄.GUGmar-ḫa-ši-tu /⁠marḫašītu⁠/, “glass or artificial gem in the color of the marḫašu stone”), from Akkadian 𒉌𒌓𒈥𒄩𒋗 (^NA₄mar-ḫa-šu /⁠marḫašu, marḫušu, marḫaṣu⁠/, “a kind of precious stone or gem; marcasite”), from Sumerian 𒈥𒄩𒅆𒆠 (mar-ḫa-ši^KI /⁠marḫaši, waraḫše⁠/), name of the Mesopotamian region of disputed extents called in Akkadian 𒁀𒊏𒄴𒋢 (pa₂-ra-aḫ-su /⁠paraḫsum, baraḫsum⁠/), the precious stone also being called in Hurrian 𒁈𒊑 𒅖 𒄭 (par₆ri-iš-ḫi /⁠parrišḫu, parrušḫu⁠/).

Encountered in Persian as مرقشیشا (marqašišâ), مارقشیشا (mârqašišâ, “marcasite, pyrite”), apparently influenced by Persian شیشه (šiše, “glass”), and as a name of an aromatic borrowed from Iranian into Old Armenian մարդարիշար (mardarišar).

Possibly ultimately identical to قَصْدِير (qaṣdīr, “tin”), Aramaic קְסְטִירָא (qəsṭīrā), קַסִּיטְרָא (qassīṭrā, “tin”), Ancient Greek κασσίτερον (kassíteron), κασσίτερος (kassíteros, “tin”), relating to the Kassites residing at the Zagros Mountains where one mined tin, overlapping with Marḫaši, regard the other English name of tin: golden marcasite.

• IPA^(key): /mar.qa.ʃiː.taː/

مَرْقَشِيتَا • (marqašītā) f

1. marcasite, pyrite, and similar minerals of ferrous sulfate

   Synonym: حَجَر النُور (ḥajar an-nūr)