Derivations of Mineral Names. 133 
The old form of stagnum produced It. stagno; later, stagnuolo ; 
whence obs. G. Stagnol, H. G. Stanniol=tin-foil. From the same 
source are Sp. estano, O. Fr. estain, Fr. etain. 
In O. H. G., tin was zin; in A.-Sax., tin—possibly related to 
Sansk. tshina, lead; obs. G., Zien (1743); H. G., Zinn; Sw., tenn; 
D., ten; Engl., tin. The Engl. words stannary=tin-mines, and 
stannous, retain the Celtic (?) root. G. Zinn and Zink probably 
have a common origin, but the connection is obscure. 
A derivation from A.-Sax. tynan=to shut, close, fasten, hence 
solder, has been suggested for tin, but seems untenable. 
5. There are a number of mineral names which derive special 
interest from their application. The peculiarities ascribed to 
Wolfram, Nickel and Cobalt are productions of the German miner, 
whose fertile imagination saw more than mere matter-of-fact cir- 
cumstances. Since the twelfth century mining has been prosecuted 
in Germany ; and it can readily be imagined with what strange 
creatures the superstitious workman of those early days might 
people the underground domains. 
WOLFRAMITE.—The word is of German origin, being a contrac- 
tion of O. H. G. wolfhraban. The latter is formed by a combina- 
tion of wolf, wolf, and hraban, raven. Among the ancient Germans, 
in fact, until the introduction of Christianity became general, 
the meeting with a wolf ora raven was considered a favorable . 
omen under nearly all circumstances; and the most. emphasized 
indication of coming good fortune consisted in meeting both of these 
animals. In the tin-mines of Germany and Bohemia, as well as in 
a number of silver-mines, the occurrence of Wolframite was an 
almost infallible index of the ee of good ore: hence the appli- 
cation of the name. 
Wolfhraban contracts into wolfhram [ Wolffhram, as late as 1565 
(Fabricius)], and, by dropping the h, into Wolfen. Wolf was for 
many years a favorite baptismal name in Germany, and may be 
found to this day in some families of feudal descent. Wolf is 
derived from Goth. vulfs and A.-Sax. vulf, with the root of Goth. 
vilwan=L. rapere, to lay hold of, to tear. 
1 Wolframm and Wolffert were used as late as the last century. The 
name is then explained as indicating that this mineral, when brought 
together with tin-ore in the furnace, wasted the tin—ate it up as a wolf 
