pearlescent
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of pearlescent
1945–50; pearl + -escent, on the model of iridescent, opalescent, etc.
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.
Growing up in the suburbs of Maryland, I looked forward to summers because it was the only time my family’s refrigerator would be stocked with bowls of pearlescent lychees.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2025
And, as she descended a grand pearlescent staircase, she suddenly disappeared through a trap door.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2025
It persisted because of the family’s willingness to accept thorns to grow roses — or in this case, to grow rice, lightly sweet with a pearlescent sheen and a supple chewy texture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2024
A jangling cord of pearlescent pink shells from Long Island.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2022
Bod could not see her, but there was an extra shadow beneath the hawthorn tree, and, as he approached it, the shadow resolved itself into something pearlescent and translucent in the early-morning light.
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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.
