ruby spinel

American

noun

Mineralogy.

a deep red, transparent variety of spinel, used as a gem.

ruby spinel British

noun

a red transparent variety of spinel, used as a gemstone

"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

Etymology

Origin of ruby spinel

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

ruby spinel

Similarly, ruby can at once be distinguished from even the finest garnet or ruby spinel, as the last two are singly refracting.

From A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public by Wade, Frank Bertram

The peculiar yellowish character of the red color led us to suspect ruby spinel.

From A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public by Wade, Frank Bertram

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023