pearly

American  

[pur-lee] / ˈpɜr li /

adjective

pearlier, pearliest

1. like a pearl, especially in being white or lustrous; nacreous.

   her pearly teeth.

2. adorned with or abounding in pearls or mother-of-pearl.

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pearly British  

/ ˈpɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. resembling a pearl, esp in lustre

2. of the colour pearl; pale bluish-grey

3. decorated with pearls or mother-of-pearl

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noun

1. a London costermonger who wears on ceremonial occasions a traditional dress of dark clothes covered with pearl buttons

2. (plural) the clothes or the buttons themselves

Other Word Forms

• pearliness noun

Etymology

Origin of pearly

First recorded in 1400–50, pearly is from the late Middle English word peerly. See pearl, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“For example, when you look at oyster shells, they have an iridescence of pearly green and blue, and that’s definitely from minerals like copper,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

But the spermaceti is full of goo resembling the pearly hue of human sperm, and possesses oily properties that once led humans to hunt them to the brink of extinction.

From Salon

And what is most remembered about a performance to Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings” is “the transcendent scene of 17 women onstage, swathed in the palest and pearliest of blues.”

From New York Times

They’re seemingly white at a distance, but look closely, and you’ll find each pearly bloom has watercolor shades of blue, grass green and grayed mauve with a golden center.

From Seattle Times

Krupp described the corona as a “pearly whitish halo of light around the sun, but has streamers going in various directions.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frosted
• iridescent
• milky
• off-white