balas

[ bal-uhs, bey-luhs ]

/ ˈbæl əs, ˈbeɪ ləs /

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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

balancing act, balanitis, balanoid, balao, Balarama, balas, Balashikha, balata, Balaton, balaustine, balayage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use balas in a sentence

The balas money which you now pay the pirates will be counted with your profits, for I will drive the pirates from these seas.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
After the death of Balas he laid siege to the Akra; and “the apostates, who hated their own nation,” appealed to Demetrius.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
The rubies of Burma are found in crystalline limestones and are constantly accompanied by precious spinel (or balas-ruby).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 6|Various
Spinelle Ruby, called Dodecahedral corundum by some mineralogists, and Balas ruby by lapidaries.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

The "rubies" of the poet's time were frequently ruby spinels, or the so-called "balas rubies" from Badakshan, in Afghan Turkestan.
Shakespeare and Precious Stones|George Frederick Kunz

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