beryl

[ ber-uhl ]
See synonyms for beryl on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a mineral, beryllium aluminum silicate, Be3Al2Si6O18, usually green, but also blue, rose, white, and golden, and both opaque and transparent, the latter variety including the gems emerald and aquamarine: the principal ore of beryllium.

Origin of beryl

1
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”)

Other words from beryl

  • ber·yl·ine [ber-uh-lin, -lahyn], /ˈbɛr ə lɪn, -ˌlaɪn/, adjective

Words Nearby beryl

Other definitions for Beryl (2 of 2)

Beryl
[ ber-il ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beryl in a sentence

  • Cleek flashed an inquiring look at his host, who in his turn was mutely questioning Lady beryl.

  • In the sheltered Caribbean cove the water was warm as milk, green and clear as liquid beryl, and shot through with shimmering sun.

    Kings in Exile | Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for beryl

beryl

/ (ˈbɛrɪl) /


noun
  1. a white, blue, yellow, green, or pink mineral, found in coarse granites and igneous rocks. It is a source of beryllium and is sometimes used as a gemstone; the green variety is emerald, the blue is aquamarine. Composition: beryllium aluminium silicate. Formula: Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 . Crystal structure: hexagonal

Origin of beryl

1
C13: from Old French, from Latin bēryllus, from Greek bērullos, of Indic origin

Derived forms of beryl

  • beryline, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for beryl

beryl

[ bĕrəl ]


  1. A usually green or bluish-green hexagonal mineral occurring as transparent to translucent prisms in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Transparent varieties, such as emeralds and aquamarine, are valued as gems. Beryl is the main source of the element beryllium. Chemical formula: Be3Al2Si6O18.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.