emerald








noun

  1. a rare variety of beryl that is colored green by chromium and valued as a gem.
  2. emerald green.
  3. Printing. (in Britain) a 6½-point type of a size between nonpareil and minion.
  4. Ornithology. any of numerous small bright green hummingbirds of the genus Chlorostilbon.

adjective

  1. having a clear, deep-green color.

noun

  1. a green transparent variety of beryl: highly valued as a gem
    1. the clear green colour of an emerald
    2. (as adjective)an emerald carpet
  2. (formerly) a size of printer’s type approximately equal to 6 1/2 point
  3. short for emerald moth
n.

“bright green precious stone,” c.1300, emeraude, from Old French esmeraude (12c.), from Medieval Latin esmaraldus, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos “green gem” (emerald or malachite), from Semitic baraq “shine” (cf. Hebrew bareqeth “emerald,” Arabic barq “lightning”).

Sanskrit maragdam “emerald” is from the same source, as is Persian zumurrud, whence Turkish zümrüd, source of Russian izumrud “emerald.”

In early examples the word, like most other names of precious stones, is of vague meaning; the mediæval references to the stone are often based upon the descriptions given by classical writers of the smaragdus, the identity of which with our emerald is doubtful. [OED]

Emerald Isle for “Ireland” is from 1795.

  1. A transparent, green form of the mineral beryl. It is valued as a gem.
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