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semiprecious

American  
[sem-ee-presh-uhs, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈprɛʃ əs, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

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


semiprecious British  
/ ˌsɛmɪˈprɛʃəs /

adjective

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

"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 semiprecious

First recorded in 1885–90; semi- + precious

Vocabulary lists containing semiprecious

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.

See Examples For:

The ancients knew about steel, but it was so expensive to produce for most of history that it was almost a semiprecious metal.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 2, 2026

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.

From New York Times Dec. 12, 2023

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.

From Seattle Times Jul. 11, 2023

I really enjoy making jewelry with sterling silver and semiprecious stones.

From Slate Jun. 30, 2023

Bay Boy, Woodrow Cain, Buddy Wilson, Junie Bug—like a necklace of semiprecious stones they surrounded her.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

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