topaz

[toh-paz]

noun

1. a mineral, a fluosilicate of aluminum, usually occurring in prismatic orthorhombic crystals of various colors, and used as a gem.

2. citrine.

3. either of two South American hummingbirds, Topaza pella or T. pyra, having chiefly red and crimson plumage and a yellowish-green throat with a topaz sheen.

topaz

/ ˈtəʊpæz /

noun

1. a white or colourless mineral often tinted by impurities, found in cavities in igneous rocks and in quartz veins. It is used as a gemstone. Composition: hydrated aluminium silicate. Formula: Al 2 SiO 4 (F,OH) 2 . Crystal structure: orthorhombic

2. a yellowish-brown variety of sapphire

3. another name for citrine

4. 1. a yellowish-brown colour, as in some varieties of topaz

   2. ( as adjective )

      topaz eyes

5. either of two South American hummingbirds, Topaza pyra and T. pella

topaz

1. A colorless, blue, yellow, brown, or pink orthorhombic mineral valued as a gem. Topaz occurs as transparent or translucent prisms in silica-rich igneous rocks, such as pegmatite, and in tin-bearing rock veins. Chemical formula: Al ₂ SiO ₄ (F,OH) ₂ .

2. Any of various yellow gemstones, especially a yellow variety of sapphire or corundum.

Other Word Forms

• topazine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of topaz¹

1225–75; < Latin topazus < Greek tópazos; replacing Middle English topace < Old French < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of topaz¹

C13: from Old French topaze, from Latin topazus, from Greek topazos

Example Sentences

The findings included nearly 1,800 gems, including rubies, topaz, sapphires and patterned gold sheets, stored inside a brick chamber.

Read more on BBC

They come from a glittering hoard of nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, topaz, sapphires, and patterned gold sheets, first glimpsed deep inside a brick chamber near the Buddha's birthplace in present-day Uttar Pradesh in India.

Read more on BBC

The crown glitters with stones including tourmalines, white and yellow topazes, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, peridot, zircons, spinel and aquamarines.

Read more on Seattle Times

It’s set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines.

Read more on Seattle Times

Weighing five pounds, with a velvet cap and band of ermine fur, the crown includes a dazzling array of rubies, amethysts, sapphires, topazes, tourmalines and garnet.

Read more on Salon

When To Use

What does topaz mean?

Topaz is a transparent gemstone that comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, pink, and purple.Clear topaz is sometimes artificially treated to produce a blue color, among other colors. Topaz is commonly used in jewelry, especially its yellow and orange varieties.As a gemstone, topaz is considered semiprecious, which is a label given to some gemstones that are not as valuable as those considered precious.Topaz is the traditional birthstone for the month of November. It is sometimes confused with the other birthstone for November, citrine (sometimes known as false topaz or topaz quartz), due to having similar coloring in some cases. It is also sometimes confused with yellow sapphire for the same reason.Example: Your ring is beautiful—is that purple topaz?