emerald

[em-er-uhld, em-ruhld]

noun

1. a rare variety of beryl that is colored green by chromium and valued as a gem.

2. emerald green.

3. Printing.,  (in Britain) a 6½-point type of a size between nonpareil and minion.

4. Ornithology.,  any of numerous small bright green hummingbirds of the genus Chlorostilbon.

adjective

1. having a clear, deep-green color.

emerald

/ ˈɛmrəld, ˈɛmərəld /

noun

1. a green transparent variety of beryl: highly valued as a gem

2. 1. the clear green colour of an emerald

   2. ( as adjective )

      an emerald carpet

3. (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 6 1/ 2 point

4. short for emerald moth

emerald

1. A transparent, green form of the mineral beryl. It is valued as a gem.

Word History and Origins

Origin of emerald¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English emeraude, emeralde, from Anglo-French, Old French esmeraude, esmeralde, esmeragde, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smáragdos; probably ultimately from Semitic b-r-q “to shine,” also the ultimate source of Sanskrit marakata “emerald”

Word History and Origins

Origin of emerald¹

C13: from Old French esmeraude, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos; related to Sanskrit marakata emerald

Example Sentences

He’s wearing one of his many tweed jackets with green elbow patches and an emerald pocket square to match.

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“My emerald. My favorite! A gift of great value, from an admirer, long ago. If I die, you can sell. Pay for funeral! If I live—too bad! Ah ha ha!”

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There were lots of big trees all around the family farm and the region, where during the summer everything turned emerald green.

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Also aboard the vessel was an extraordinary amount of gold, silver, emeralds, and other jewels, and more than eleven million coins, all collected in the South American colonies to finance the Spanish king’s war effort.

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The move allowed them to quickly reach an upper gallery and steal a host of jewels, including an emerald necklace that Napoleon gave to his second wife.

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When To Use

What does emerald mean?

An emerald is a rare, transparent, deep-green gemstone.Emeralds are a rare green variety of the mineral beryl. They are classified as precious gems, meaning that they have a high commercial value. Emeralds can be very expensive. The value of emeralds is often based on how dark they are, with darker ones being priced higher.The emerald is the traditional birthstone for the month of May. It’s associated with the zodiac signs Taurus and Cancer.The word emerald can also be used to refer to a deep color of green, sometimes called emerald green, or to describe things that are this color.Example: My grandmother gave me this emerald ring to remember where our family immigrated came from—Ireland, the “Emerald Isle.”