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 • Jan. 12, 2024
The mollusc deposits layers of aragonite and conchiolin, which together form nacre, also know as mother-of-pearl.
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2022
Dull on the outside, its nacre gleams pearlescent within.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2021
Some bivalves like oysters and mussels have the unique ability to secrete and deposit a calcareous nacre or “mother of pearl” around foreign particles that enter the mantle cavity.
From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013
The shell is built up of very thin layers of nacre, or mother of pearl, and calcareous or chalky matter, the thinner being the layers of nacre the more lustrous and iridescent is the shell.
From Beautiful Shells of New Zealand An Illustrated Work for Amateur Collectors of New Zealand Marine Shells, with Directions for Collecting and Cleaning them by Moss, E. G. B.
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.
