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balas

[ bal-uhs, bey-luhs ]
/ ˈbæl əs, ˈbeɪ ləs /

noun Mineralogy.

a rose-red variety of spinel.

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Also called balas ruby.

Origin of balas

1375–1425; late Middle English <Medieval Latin balasius, variant of balascius<Arabic balakhsh, back formation from Persian Badakhshān, district near Samarkand, where gem is found

Words nearby balas

balanorrhagia, balantidiasis, Balantidium, balao, Balarama, balas, Balashikha, balata, Balaton, balaustine, balayage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for balas

British Dictionary definitions for balas

balas
/ (ˈbæləs, ˈbeɪ-) /

noun

a red variety of spinel, used as a gemstoneAlso called: balas ruby

Word Origin for balas

C15: from Old French balais, from Arabic bālakhsh, from Badhakhshān, region in Afghanistan where the gem is found
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