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meerschaum

[meer-shuhm, -shawm]

noun

  1. a mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H 4 Mg 2 Si 3 O 1 0 , occurring in white, claylike masses, used for ornamental carvings, for pipe bowls, etc.; sepiolite.

  2. a tobacco pipe with a bowl made of this substance.



meerschaum

/ ˈmɪəʃəm /

noun

  1. Also called: sepiolitea white, yellowish, or pink compact earthy mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate: used to make tobacco pipes and as a building stone. Formula: Mg 2 Si 3 O 6 (OH) 4

  2. a tobacco pipe having a bowl made of this mineral

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of meerschaum1

1775–85; < German Meerschaum, equivalent to Meer sea ( mere 2 ) + Schaum foam
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Word History and Origins

Origin of meerschaum1

C18: German, literally: sea foam
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Spassky, looking uncomfortable, sat on Bobby’s right, and Vasiljevic, smoking a meerschaum pipe and appearing relaxed, was on his left.

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If, on the flip side, you have been consuming exclusively comics, exciting news: You are now twice as prestigious as you thought and can go buy a meerschaum smoking pipe.

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Woodstock’s nest is stolen, and Snoopy transforms into Sherlock Holmes, donning a deerstalker hat, blowing bubbles out of his meerschaum pipe and dusting for fingerprints in an effort to locate the culprit.

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And, if sometimes in doing so, I feel as if I am impersonating Henry Higgins, though without the meerschaum, I can live with that.

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The old gentleman leaned back in his chair and lighted an enormous meerschaum pipe—Good gracious, he breathes fire, thought the Wart, who had never heard of tobacco—before he was ready to reply.

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