nephrite en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈnɛfˌɹaɪt/
Etymology
From Latin lapis nephriticus, via Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos) νεφριτικός (nephritikós), meaning kidney stone, because jade was believed to have cured kidney stones.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A semi-precious stone, one of the two types of stone commonly referred to as jade (the other being jadeite).
Occurrences of nephrite are more numerous. China’s most important source throughout its history has been the region of Khotan (Ho-t‘ien) and Yarkand in Central Asia. In more recent times the Chinese have also imported nephrite from the neighbourhood of Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia.
1968, S. Howard Hansford, “The Material and Its Sources”, in Chinese Carved Jades, Greenwich, Conn.: New York Graphic Society Ltd., →LCCN, →OCLC, page 27:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| nephrites | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (19)
it nefrite (semi-precious stone) · mk не́фрит (semi-precious stone) · kk нефрит (semi-precious stone) · lv nefrīts (semi-precious stone) · de Nephrit (semi-precious stone) · pl nefryt (semi-precious stone) · fr néphrite (semi-precious stone) · la lapis nephrīticus (semi-precious stone) · fi nefriitti (semi-precious stone) · bg нефрит (semi-precious stone) · cmn 玉 (semi-precious stone) · el νεφρίτης (semi-precious stone) · cmn 軟玉 /软玉 (semi-precious stone) · la nephrītēs (semi-precious stone) · ja 軟玉 (semi-precious stone) · es nefrita (semi-precious stone) · mi pounamu (semi-precious stone) · cs nefrit (semi-precious stone) · ca nefrita (semi-precious stone)