Word Origin & History
zircon
1794, from Ger. Zirkon (cf. Fr. jargon, It. giargone), from Arabic zarqun "cinnabar, bright red," from Pers. zargun "gold-colored," from Avestan zari- "gold-colored," from zar "gold." Zirconium, metallic chemical element, first attested 1808, coined by Ger. chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817) in 1789; so called because it was found in zircon.