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• beryl
  beryl

  noun

  a mineral, beryllium aluminum silicate, Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 , usually green, but also blue, rose, white, and golden, and both opaque and transparent, the latter variety including the gems emerald and aquamarine: the principal ore of beryllium.
• Beryl
  Beryl

  noun

  a first name.

beryl

¹ American  

[ber-uhl] / ˈbɛr əl /

noun

1. a mineral, beryllium aluminum silicate, Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 , usually green, but also blue, rose, white, and golden, and both opaque and transparent, the latter variety including the gems emerald and aquamarine: the principal ore of beryllium.

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Beryl ² American  

[ber-il] / ˈbɛr ɪl /

noun

1. a first name.

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beryl British  

/ ˈbɛrɪl /

noun

1. a white, blue, yellow, green, or pink mineral, found in coarse granites and igneous rocks. It is a source of beryllium and is sometimes used as a gemstone; the green variety is emerald, the blue is aquamarine. Composition: beryllium aluminium silicate. Formula: Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 . Crystal structure: hexagonal

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beryl Scientific  

/ bĕr′əl /

1. A usually green or bluish-green hexagonal mineral occurring as transparent to translucent prisms in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Transparent varieties, such as emeralds and aquamarine, are valued as gems. Beryl is the main source of the element beryllium. Chemical formula: Be ₃ Al ₂ Si ₆ O ₁₈ .

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Usage

What does beryl mean? Beryl is a mineral whose transparent varieties are used as gemstones. Both emerald and aquamarine are varieties of beryl. Beryl gems occur in a variety of colors, including green (emerald), green-blue (aquamarine), yellow (heliodor), and pink (morganite). Beryl is sometimes considered an alternate birthstone for the month of November, and it is associated with the zodiac sign Scorpio. Beryl is the main source of the element beryllium, which is used to make alloys. Example: The most popular form of beryl is the radiant emerald.

Other Word Forms

• beryline
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of beryl

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English beril, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin bērillus, from Latin bēryllus, from Greek bḗryllos, bērýllion, from Prakrit veruḷiya (compare Sanskrit vaiḍūrya ), from Pali veḷuriya, originally referring to white beryl or quartz, of uncertain Dravidian origin, perhaps after Belur, Karnataka, where the mineral was mined (akin to Kannada biḷi “white” + ūru “habitation, town”)

Example Sentences

A self-assured, naive young woman joins a dysfunctional theater company in Beryl Bainbridge’s darkly comic novel of mishaps and maturity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Judge Beryl Howell was not pleased with this discrepancy.

From Slate • Feb. 18, 2026

Beryl Cook: Pride and Joy is on at The Box in Plymouth from 24 January until 31 May.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

But she lost her job after Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 and eventually let her coverage expire to control her costs.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

“This is where human error creeps in,” Beryl says.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• blue-green
• olive