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Origin of "Jet Black"

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Andrew Gore

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Jan 11, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/11/97
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I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "jet black", meaning the darkest
black. And please, no Ebonics jokes! <g>

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Chris Pierson

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Jan 12, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/12/97
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In article <dice.1289...@primenet.comXX>,

Andrew Gore <di...@primenet.comXX> wrote:
>
> I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "jet black", meaning the
>darkest black. And please, no Ebonics jokes! <g>

Jet black comes from the "gemstone" (actually a type of lignite coal)
called jet -- which is, surprisingly, a deep, shining black. So where does
the name of the gem come from? Webster's lists the following:

jet < ME get < OFr jaiet < L gagates < Gr gagates, jet, after Gagas, a
town and river in Lycia, Asia Minor.

Etymology Man awaaaaaaaaaay!
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Chris Ward

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Jan 12, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/12/97
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di...@primenet.comXX (Andrew Gore) wrote:


> I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "jet black", meaning the darkest
>black. And please, no Ebonics jokes! <g>

There's a stone called "jet". It's very black, like onyx or obsidian.

Dave Wilton

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Jan 12, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/12/97
to Andrew Gore

Andrew Gore wrote:
>
> I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "jet black", meaning the darkest
> black. And please, no Ebonics jokes! <g>

According to the OED2, "jet" meaning black comes from Middle English via
the Old French word "jaiet" or "jayat." The original sense (1387) means
a
type of brown coal that could polished to a high sheen. The usage of jet
to mean the color of jet (i.e., similar to black) dates to 1716.

"Jet" as in the engine is etymologically unrelated but dates from the
same
period. It derives from the French "getter" or "jetter" (now "jeter" in
modern French) meaning to throw. It is related to words like jut and
jetty.

[Posted & Mailed]

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Dave Wilton
dwi...@sprynet.com
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/dwilton/homepage.htm

Kurt Foster

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Jan 13, 1997, 3:00:00 AM1/13/97
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Andrew Gore (di...@primenet.comXX) wrote:

: I'm trying to find the origin of the phrase "jet black", meaning the
: darkest black. And please, no Ebonics jokes! <g>

:
You can probably find a short description of the following meaning of
"jet" in an unabridged dictionary -- look up "jet" and see. It seems to
answer your question.

From "Precious Stones" by Max Bauer (Dover reprint of 1904 English
translation; 2 volumes): p. 556 (in volume 2), the mineral "jet" is
described. The description begins,

" Jet (`black amber', German *Gagat*, *Agstein*; French *jais*) is a
variety od fossil coal often worked for mourning ornaments and other
articles" ...
"Material which is to be used for ornamental purposes must be free from
patchiness, and must be of a deep, pure black colour. Jet of a fine
velvety black is most esteemed, ..."

cliff...@gmail.com

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Jul 5, 2019, 8:17:43 PM7/5/19
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The origin of the Term JET BLACK was first used by Sears Roebuck in selling their Supertone “Castillian “ Model in their Catalog. I have this guitar from the 1930’s and it is the First usage of the Term JET BLACK.

Paul Tomblin

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Jul 6, 2019, 11:03:47 AM7/6/19
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Jet is a coal pre-cursor which is used for jewlery and it's black. The term
"jet-black" hwas been in use for centuries.

--
Paul Tomblin <ptom...@xcski.com> http://blog.xcski.com/
I used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.

RH Draney

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Jul 6, 2019, 6:03:03 PM7/6/19
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On 7/6/2019 8:03 AM, Paul Tomblin wrote:
> In a previous article, cliff...@gmail.com said:
>> The origin of the Term JET BLACK was first used by Sears Roebuck in selling
>> their Supertone “Castillian “ Model in their Catalog. I have this guitar
>>from the 1930’s and it is the First usage of the Term JET BLACK.
>
> Jet is a coal pre-cursor which is used for jewlery and it's black. The term
> "jet-black" hwas been in use for centuries.

I named two of the feral kittens who showed up on my patio some years
back McDonnell and Douglas (Mac and Dougie for short)....

They were both jet black....r

Drew Lawson

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Jul 7, 2019, 3:41:13 PM7/7/19
to
In article <qfqd8i$8e6$1...@linode.xcski.com>
ptomblin...@xcski.com (Paul Tomblin) writes:
>In a previous article, cliff...@gmail.com said:
>>The origin of the Term JET BLACK was first used by Sears Roebuck in selling
>>their Supertone “Castillian “ Model in their Catalog. I have this guitar
>>from the 1930’s and it is the First usage of the Term JET BLACK.
>
>Jet is a coal pre-cursor which is used for jewlery and it's black. The term
>"jet-black" hwas been in use for centuries.

OED lists it at least back to 1477. "Black as jet" to 1425.


--
Drew Lawson I had planned to be dead by now, but
the schedule slipped, they do that.
-- Casady
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