balas

American  

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

noun

Mineralogy.

1. a rose-red variety of spinel.

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balas British  

/ ˈbeɪ-, ˈbæləs /

noun

1. Also called: balas ruby.  a red variety of spinel, used as a gemstone

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Las puertas y ventanas de la casa están forradas con vidrio a prueba de balas.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2019

Os requerentes incluíam a Associação Nacional das Indústrias de Biscoitos, o lobby dos produtores de milho e uma associação de empresas de chocolates, cacau e balas.

From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2017

Até pouco tempo atrás, a Nestlé patrocinava uma barcaça que entregava dezenas de milhares de embalagens de leite em pó, iogurte, sobremesas lácteas de chocolate, biscoitos e balas a comunidades isoladas da bacia Amazônica.

From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2017

The "rubies" of the poet's time were frequently ruby spinels, or the so-called "balas rubies" from Badakshan, in Afghan Turkestan.

From Shakespeare and Precious Stones Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from by Kunz, George Frederick

In 1382 a circlet crown was purchased for Queen Anne of Bohemia, being set with a large sapphire, a balas, and four large pearls with a diamond in the centre.

From Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Addison, Julia de Wolf Gibbs