Jump To:

• jasper
  jasper

  noun

  a compact, opaque, cryptocrystalline variety of quartz, usually colored red: often used in decorative carvings.
• Jasper
  Jasper

  noun

  a city in NW Alabama.

jasper

¹ American  

[jas-per] / ˈdʒæs pər /

noun

1. a compact, opaque, cryptocrystalline variety of quartz, usually colored red: often used in decorative carvings.

2. Also called jasper ware;, cameo ware. a fine, hard stoneware introduced c1775 by Wedgwood, stained various colors by metallic oxides, with raised designs in white.

---

jasper ² American  

[jas-per] / ˈdʒæs pər /

noun

Older Slang.

1. a fellow; guy.

---

Jasper ³ American  

[jas-per] / ˈdʒæs pər /

noun

1. a city in NW Alabama.

2. a resort town in SW Alberta, in SW Canada, on the Athabasca River: headquarters for Jasper National Park.

3. a male given name, form of Caspar.

---

jasper British  

/ ˈdʒæspə /

noun

1. an opaque impure microcrystalline form of quartz, red, yellow, brown, or dark green in colour, used as a gemstone and for ornamental decoration

2. Also called: jasper ware. a dense hard stoneware, invented in 1775 by Wedgwood, capable of being stained throughout its substance with metallic oxides and used as background for applied classical decoration

---

jasper Scientific  

/ jăs′pər /

1. A reddish, brown, or yellow variety of chert. Jasper usually occurs in association with iron ores and contains iron impurities that give it its color.

---

Etymology

Origin of jasper¹

1300–50; Middle English jaspe, jaspre < Middle French; Old French jaspe < Latin iaspis < Greek iáspis < Semitic; compare Arabic yashb

Origin of jasper²

1895–1900, special use of proper name Jasper

---

Explanation

Jasper is a hard, semiprecious stone that's usually red. One of your birthstones is jasper if you were born in the month of March. Jasper is a type of quartz that can be brown, yellow, or green, but is most often a mottled, brick red color. When geologists find jasper embedded in cracks of volcanic rocks, it looks dull and drab, but it's beautifully shiny after being polished. Jasper has been used in jewelry and decorative objects for thousands of years. The word jasper means "spotted or speckled stone," from a Greek root.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jasper Jasper

Magical gems from the Roman empire show how it blended its own culture with that of local populations to create totems out of carnelian, jasper and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The delicate intaglios, fashioned from amethyst, jasper and carnelian, range in diameter from 5 millimeters to 16 millimeters — bigger than a pencil eraser, smaller than a dime.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

She uses stones such as lapis lazuli and red jasper to render the human circulatory system, hand-cutting long, thin strips of material with diamond blades.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2022

How did that piece of jasper get there?

From Salon ● May 6, 2022

As he stood, his robes shimmered, the purple shifting until it was the same deep blue of his jasper scepter.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

The father-of-three is best known for his award-winning young adult novel Jasper Jones and children's book Runt, both of which were later made into movies.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Altogether, these individuals would owe at least $107 billion in taxes, according to an analysis by economists Jasper Boll, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Louise and Helena have the patience of domestic saints—Louise regarding meals, Helena regarding the “compatibility checklist” Jasper brings along to assess their progress while on vacation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The ever-suspicious if socially awkward Jasper certainly thinks so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

He walked out on to the drive, Jasper dancing at his heels, and I followed him slowly, feeling very uncomfortable still.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---