The Etymology of The Mineral Name ‘Apatite’: A Clarification

Abstract

The mineral name ‘apatite’ derives from a Greek word referring to deception but the exact etymology has become a source of significant confusion: authoritative mineralogy books, mineral websites and general reference works are mutually inconsistent. The original references were examined and present-day variations assessed for accuracy. German mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner published the original etymology in 1788 for the mineral he had privately already named. Werner's original term was the German Apatit, which he derived from the Greek verb απατάω (accentuated thus; but following today's printing conventions would be ἀπατάω), giving only the Latin translation ‘decipio’. The verb ἀπατάω transliterates to apatáō and translates into English as ‘to deceive’ (someone) or ‘to be deceptive’ (used absolutely). However, the word Apatit itself had actually been published two years before Werner, in 1786, by German mineralogist Carl Abraham Gerhard, who nonetheless credited Werner as its originator.