opal en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈəʊpəl/ (UK)
- /ˈoʊpəl/ (US)
Etymology
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”). Distantly related to over.
Meanings
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A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.
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.)
2012 March 14, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2012, page 128:
- A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O. ▸ A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
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The colour of opal: any shade of blue with bright flecks of other colours, such as white, yellow, and red.
The witchery of the dawn turned the grey river-reaches to purple, gold, and opal; and it was as though the lumbering dhoni crept across the splendors of a new heaven.
1889, Rudyard Kipling, “Only A Subaltern”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 141:
- A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA."
- Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| opals | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
pipe opal · opaleye · Opalton · opalesce · opal aura · opal pineapple · semiopal · pineapple opal · opalesque · xylopal · opalic · opaline · opaled · chloropal · opalware · opalotype · boulder opal · Grawin Opal Fields · opalescent · opal pseudomorph · jasper opal · opalescence · black opal · opalise · sun opal · opalize · fire opal · opalish · opal glass · wood opal
Translations (45)
tr opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · fa چشمگربه (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · vi ngọc mắt mèo (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · nl opaal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · de Opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · mk опал (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · es ópalo (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · vi miêu nhãn thạch (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · pt opala (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · et opaal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · cy fflamfaen (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · pl opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · fa اپال (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ca òpal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · cmn 歐泊 /欧泊 (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ko 오팔 (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · tl opalo (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · bg опал (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ta அமுதக்கல் (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · az opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · hu opál (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · eo opalo (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · fa عینالهر (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · vi opan (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · sv opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ga ópal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ro opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · th โอปอล (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · mr ओपल (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · cmn 蛋白石 (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · sl opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ja オパール (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · he לֶשֶׁם (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · is ópall (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ar أُوبَال (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · it opale (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · fi opaali (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · la opalus (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ko 단백석 (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · cs opál (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · fr opale (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · cy opal (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · ru опа́л (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · el οπάλι (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity) · kk опал (a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity)