nacre
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- nacred adjective
Etymology
Origin of nacre
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin nacrum, nacer, variant of nacara < Old Italian naccara kind of drum, nacre < Arabic naqqārah drum
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A well-known example is nacre, which is used in jewellery because of its iridescent colours.
From Science Daily
The mollusc deposits layers of aragonite and conchiolin, which together form nacre, also know as mother-of-pearl.
From BBC
Dull on the outside, its nacre gleams pearlescent within.
From Seattle Times
Natural materials such as bone, silk and nacre have exceptional properties that many conventional engineering materials lack.
From Nature
A delicate thread of continuity connects these flashes of story, each complete and perfect in and of itself but accreting meaning like nacre on a pearl.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
