Latin term for agate, a banded mineral, or historically used to refer to a loyal friend (from Aeneas's companion in Virgil's Aeneid).
From Latin and Greek achates, referring to the stone agate. In literature, Achates was the loyal friend of Aeneas in Virgil's epic, making the name synonymous with faithful friendship.
Achates became a literary symbol of loyal friendship throughout European literature because of Virgil's portrayal—the phrase 'fidus Achates' (faithful Achates) appears in countless poems and writings over 2,000 years.
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