nacreous

[ney-kree-uh s]

See more synonyms for nacreous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to nacre.
resembling nacre; lustrous; pearly.

Origin of nacreous

First recorded in 1830–40; nacre + -ous

Related formssub·na·cre·ous, adjectiveun·na·cre·ous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for nacreous

pearly, shimmering, lustrous, iridescent, milky, frosted, off-white, pearl, ivory, silver, fair, opalescent, polychromatic, irised, nacreous, opaline, prismatic

Examples from the Web for nacreous

Historical Examples of nacreous

He abominated the nacreous flesh tones of Titian, Correggio, or Rubens.
Egoists
James Huneker
It is seldom as much as half an inch in length, and has a nacreous interior.
Beautiful Shells of New Zealand
E. G. B. Moss
Inside it is white and nacreous, with a large brown area under the apex.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
All the trochids are nacreous within the aperturea character which is constant throughout the family.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
Within the aperture the surface is nacreous and greenish in tint; the last whorl is drawn in, like gathers, at the suture.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for nacreous

nacreous

adjective

relating to or consisting of mother-of-pearl
having the lustre of mother-of-pearlnacreous minerals

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

Word Origin and History for nacreous

adj.

"resembling nacre," 1807, from nacre + -ous.

nacreous in Medicine

nacreous

[nā′krē-əs]

adj.

Resembling mother-of-pearl; lustrous.