The name derives from the
Greek κασσίτερος (
transliterated as "kassiteros") for "tin". Early references to κασσίτερος can be found in
Homer's
Iliad, such as in the description the
Shield of Achillies. For example, the passage in book 18 chapter 610: αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ τεῦξε σάκος μέγα τε στιβαρόν τε, 610τεῦξ᾽ ἄρα οἱ θώρηκα φαεινότερον πυρὸς αὐγῆς, τεῦξε δέ οἱ κόρυθα βριαρὴν κροτάφοις ἀραρυῖαν καλὴν δαιδαλέην, ἐπὶ δὲ χρύσεον λόφον ἧκε, τεῦξε δέ οἱ κνημῖδας ἑανοῦ κασσιτέροιο.Translated as: then wrought he for him a
corselet brighter than the blaze of fire, and he wrought for him a heavy helmet, fitted to his temples, a fair helm, richly-dight, and set thereon a crest of gold; and he wrought him
greaves of pliant tin. But when the glorious god of the two strong arms had fashioned all the armour
Liddell-Scott-Jones suggest the etymology to be originally
Elamite; citing the
Babylonian kassi-tira, hence the
sanskrit kastīram. (cuneiform: 𒀭𒈾).
Roman Ghirshman (1954) suggests, from the region of the
Kassites, an ancient people in west and central
Iran; a view also taken by J D Muhly. There are relatively few words in
Ancient Greek at begin with "κασσ-"; suggesting that it is an
ethnonym. And
Stephanus of Byzantium in his
Ethnica states: "Κασσίτερα νησοσ εν τω Ωκεανω, τη
Ίνδικη προσεχης, ως Διονυσιοσ εν Βασσαρικοισ. Εξ ης ο
κασσίτερος."Which can be translated as:
Kassitera, an island in the ocean, neighbouring India, as Dionysius states in the Bassarika. From there comes tin. == Use ==