Fluorite
fluere — “to flow”
Miners named it for what it does — fluere, to flow — because it melts ore’s stubbornness in the furnace. Science returned the favor twice: the element fluorine and the word “fluorescence” are both named after this stone. It grows in perfect cubes and octahedra, in more colors than any other mineral.
“The stone that taught light a new word — fluorescence.”G. G. Stokes · 1852, named after fluorite