'pyroxene' originates from German, specifically the word 'Pyroxen,' which was formed from Greek roots: 'pyro-' meaning 'fire' and 'xenos' meaning 'stranger.'

'Pyroxen' was adopted into French as 'pyroxène,' and eventually became the modern English word 'pyroxene.'

Initially, it meant 'a mineral that appears as a foreigner in igneous rocks,' but over time it became the name for a group of silicate minerals found in rocks.