Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - amethyst

 noun  Etymology: Middle English amatiste, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin ~us, from Greek ~os, literally, remedy against drunkenness, from a- + methyein to be drunk, from methy wine — more at mead  Date: 13th century  1.  a. a clear purple or bluish-violet variety of crystallized quartz that is often used as a jeweler's stone  b. a deep purple variety of corundum  2. a moderate purple  • ~ine adjective