WEBVTT

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Mysteries of vernacular:

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Jade,

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a hard, typically green stone.

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Until relatively recently,

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gemstones were believed

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to have magical, medicinal properties,

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and nothing was more effective

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at treating a kidney disorder than jade.

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In the 16th century,

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the Spanish returned from the New World

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with the mineral in their cargo holds

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and christened it, "piedra de la ijada,"

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or loin stone.

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It quickly became popular
throughout Europe,

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both as a cure for internal ailments

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and as a decorative ornament

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and was renamed jade by the French,

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a word that was borrowed by the English

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and remains in use to this day.

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In the 19th century,

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French mineralogists discovered

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that jade was being used

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to describe two distinct minerals:

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jadeite, which takes its name from jade,

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and the more common nephrite,

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the root of which is the Greek
word nephros,

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meaning kidney.

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In addition to describing
these two minerals,

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jade also has an English homonym.

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With roots that predate the popularity

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of the lustral gemstone,

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jade was used to refer to

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either a disreputable woman

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or a broken-down horse.

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Thus, the word jaded, meaning worn out

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or lacking enthusiasm,

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has nothing to do with the gemstone,

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and instead, comes from the archaic,

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equine-related definition.