opal
English edit
Etymology edit
In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”).[1] Distantly related to over.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
opal (plural opals)
- (mineralogy) A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO2·nH2O.
- (gemology) A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
- 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist[1], volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, page 128:
- Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
- (biology, genetics, biochemistry) A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA."
- Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity
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Further reading edit
- David Barthelmy (1997–2024), “Opal”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
- “opal”, in Mindat.org[2], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.
- ^ Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, Robert K. Barnhart (ed.), Chambers, 1988
Anagrams edit
Cebuano edit
Etymology edit
From English opal, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”).
Pronunciation edit
- Hyphenation: o‧pal
Noun edit
opal
Polish edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Noun edit
opal m inan
Declension edit
Declension of opal
Derived terms edit
adjective
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb edit
opal
Further reading edit
Romanian edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from German Opal or Latin opalus or French opale.
Noun edit
opal n (plural opale)