semiprecious

[sem-ee-presh-uhs, sem-ahy-]

adjective

1. (of a stone) having commercial value as a gem but not classified as precious, as the amethyst or garnet.

semiprecious

/ ˌsɛmɪˈprɛʃəs /

adjective

1. (of certain stones) having commercial value, but less than a precious stone

Word History and Origins

Origin of semiprecious¹

First recorded in 1885–90; semi- + precious

Example Sentences

The EPA installed raised barriers and layers of thick plastic to prevent groundwater runoff and used air-quality monitors to ensure that the battery dust, which contains precious and semiprecious metals, did not contaminate the air.

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Four months after the British Museum fired a curator suspected of stealing gems, jewelry and semiprecious stones, the London institution on Tuesday released further information about the fate of the missing items.

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Addressing a British parliamentary committee on Wednesday, Mark Jones, the museum’s interim director, said that inventory failures contributed to the theft of about 2,000 artifacts, including gems, semiprecious stones and glass items.

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Other discoveries included semiprecious stones such as amber from the Baltics and lapis lazuli and carnelian from Mesopotamia and the northern Levant, according to Fischer.

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It’s not as valuable as other crowns, for it’s set with mostly semiprecious stones.

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