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.
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”)
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With no local testing or controls of exports, secondary minerals like tantalum, beryl and tin were being shipped out undetected and untaxed.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
Before casting off in water as smooth as polished beryl, Footen attaches a GoPro MAX camera onto an industrial tripod in his Seastream Angler kayak.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2022
If the quartz can’t scratch the specimen, it might be beryl or corundum, which are harder than quartz.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 3, 2021
Using video chat, Nikfarjam sold a $22,000 diamond necklace, a $28,000 green beryl ring and a $52,000 engagement ring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2020
The armor had been made of silver and gold, the knights of jade and beryl and onyx and tourmaline, of amber and opal and amethyst, each as tall'as her little finger.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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 at The Box, aims to bring serious artistic recognition to an artist whose colourful and comedic paintings of the daily life of the city's residents, were often dismissed by critics.
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
Beryl cycles up and we go inside together.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
