mother-of-pearl
[muhth -er-uh v-purl]
- a hard, iridescent substance that forms the inner layer of certain mollusk shells, used for making buttons, beads, etc.; nacre.
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- of or having the qualities of mother-of-pearl, as being iridescent or pearly: mother-of-pearl buttons.
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Origin of mother-of-pearl
1500–10; compare Italian madreperla, obsolete French mère perle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for mother-of-pearl
Historical Examples of mother-of-pearl
One moment he lay there, glowing like mother-of-pearl, a rare fish, fresh from the sea.
Tales of FishesZane Grey
Once he crossed his eyes at me, meditatively, above the mother-of-pearl rims.
RomanceJoseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
The slant rays of the sun struck them and turned them mother-of-pearl.
The Long RollMary Johnston
We saw a number of divers preparing to go off to get pearls, mother-of-pearl, etc.
The Philippine IslandsJohn Foreman
Without, it had the tints of the mother-of-pearl, while its framework was of silver.
The Angel ChildrenCharlotte M. Higgins
mother-of-pearl
- a hard iridescent substance, mostly calcium carbonate, that forms the inner layer of the shells of certain molluscs, such as the oyster. It is used to make buttons, inlay furniture, etcAlso called: nacre Related adjective: nacreous
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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
mother-of-pearl
- The hard, smooth, pearly layer on the inside of certain seashells, such as abalones and certain oysters. It is used to make buttons and jewelry. Also called nacre
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.