The word itself first enters the English language in the 14th century from the French 'jaspre' and the Latin 'jaspis' and the earlier Greek 'iaspis' all meaning spotted or speckled gemstone. Further back we can see a similar word used in the bible in Hebrew, Yashpeh or Yashepeh which...
See More Examples British Dictionary definitions for jasper jasper / (ˈdʒæspə) / noun an opaque impure microcrystalline form of quartz, red, yellow, brown, or dark green in colour, used as a gemstone and for ornamental decoration Also called: jasper ware a dense hard stoneware,...
of the gemstone, which comes from a Semitic word meaning "speckled stone." Jasper is the usual English form for one of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the infant Christ according to medieval tradition and appears in the Bible as a reference to the stone itself in Revelations 4:3...