jade

¹ American  

[jeyd] / dʒeɪd /

noun

1. either of two minerals, jadeite or nephrite, sometimes green, highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for carvings, jewelry, etc.

2. an object, as a carving, made from this material.

3. Also called jade green.  green, varying from bluish green to yellowish green.

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jade ² American  

[jeyd] / dʒeɪd /

noun

1. a worn-out, broken-down, worthless, or vicious horse.

2. a disreputable or ill-tempered woman.

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verb (used with or without object)

jaded, jading

1. to make or become dull, worn-out, or weary, as from overwork or overuse.

jade ¹ British  

/ dʒeɪd /

noun

1. 1. a semiprecious stone consisting of either jadeite or nephrite. It varies in colour from white to green and is used for making ornaments and jewellery

   2. ( as modifier )

      jade ornaments

2. 1. the green colour of jade

   2. ( as modifier )

      a jade skirt

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jade ² British  

/ dʒeɪd /

noun

1. an old overworked horse; nag; hack

2. derogatory a woman considered to be ill-tempered or disreputable

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verb

1. to exhaust or make exhausted from work or use

jade Scientific  

/ jād /

1. A hard gemstone that is pale green or white and consists either of the mineral jadeite (a pyroxene) or the mineral nephrite (an amphibole). It usually forms within metamorphic rocks.

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Other Word Forms

• jadelike adjective
• jadish adjective
• jadishly adverb
• jadishness noun

Etymology

Origin of jade¹

1585–95; < French < Italian giada < obsolete Spanish ( piedra de ) ijada (stone of ) colic < Vulgar Latin *iliata, equivalent to Latin īli ( a ) flanks ( ilium ) + -ata -ate ¹; so called because supposed to cure nephritic colic

Origin of jade²

1350–1400; Middle English; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Because this is a low-key charity gig, the staging and lighting are minimal; but the star makes the room shrink, shimmying around in a jade green ballgown with irrepressible energy.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Zhao, a woman sporting an intricately carved gold medallion on a necklace of jade beads and shimmering bangles on her wrist, brought her late grandfather's ring to the recycling machine.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

What the author gets at in every example, from Kokopelli petroglyphs to fragile jade flutes and the lush sets and experimental sounds of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, is a common longing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

They used elaborate red, green, and cream wallpaper throughout, and other staged rooms were painted jade and burgundy.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025

At the opposite extreme, the Maori on the minicontinent of New Zealand had access to a wide range of raw materials and became especially noted for their use of jade.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• disable