topaz

American  

[toh-paz] / ˈtoʊ pæz /

noun

topazes plural

1. a mineral, a fluosilicate of aluminum, usually occurring in prismatic orthorhombic crystals of various colors, and used as a gem.

2. citrine.

3. either of two South American hummingbirds, Topaza pella or T. pyra, having chiefly red and crimson plumage and a yellowish-green throat with a topaz sheen.

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topaz British  

/ ˈtəʊpæz /

noun

1. a white or colourless mineral often tinted by impurities, found in cavities in igneous rocks and in quartz veins. It is used as a gemstone. Composition: hydrated aluminium silicate. Formula: Al 2 SiO 4 (F,OH) 2 . Crystal structure: orthorhombic

2. a yellowish-brown variety of sapphire

3. another name for citrine

4. 1. a yellowish-brown colour, as in some varieties of topaz

   2. ( as adjective )

      topaz eyes

5. either of two South American hummingbirds, Topaza pyra and T. pella

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topaz Scientific  

/ tō′păz′ /

1. A colorless, blue, yellow, brown, or pink orthorhombic mineral valued as a gem. Topaz occurs as transparent or translucent prisms in silica-rich igneous rocks, such as pegmatite, and in tin-bearing rock veins. Chemical formula: Al ₂ SiO ₄ (F,OH) ₂ .

2. Any of various yellow gemstones, especially a yellow variety of sapphire or corundum.

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Usage

What does topaz mean? Topaz is a transparent gemstone that comes in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, pink, and purple. Clear topaz is sometimes artificially treated to produce a blue color, among other colors. Topaz is commonly used in jewelry, especially its yellow and orange varieties. As a gemstone, topaz is considered semiprecious, which is a label given to some gemstones that are not as valuable as those considered precious. Topaz is the traditional birthstone for the month of November. It is sometimes confused with the other birthstone for November, citrine (sometimes known as false topaz or topaz quartz), due to having similar coloring in some cases. It is also sometimes confused with yellow sapphire for the same reason. Example: Your ring is beautiful—is that purple topaz?

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• topazine
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• topazes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of topaz

1225–75; < Latin topazus < Greek tópazos; replacing Middle English topace < Old French < Latin, as above

Compare meaning

How does topaz compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• citrine vs. topaz

Explanation

Topaz is yellow quartz, and you may have seen it in your grandmother's beaded jewelry. Topaz can mean a type of mineral that is found in many different colors. It can also specifically mean yellow quartz that is also called imperial topaz, common topaz, or false topaz. Topaz is often used in necklaces, earrings, and other types of jewelry. Chances are you've seen a woman wearing topaz at some point. This type of topaz is common and not as precious as some other types of gems such as emeralds or rubies. Still, most would consider topaz pretty.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

topaz topazes

They come from a glittering hoard of nearly 1,800 pearls, rubies, topaz, sapphires, and patterned gold sheets, first glimpsed deep inside a brick chamber near the Buddha's birthplace in present-day Uttar Pradesh in India.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

There are also pink opals, pink malaya garnets, pink topaz.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022

When Ms. Gruber turned to him, he produced a blue topaz ring they had chosen.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2020

They were the bright yellow in the calendula flowers, the ocher streaks in the tomato skins, the yellow-green of the sorrel and kale, and the topaz of the turning maple leaves.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2019

I don't stop thinking about it, even after I finish painting the woman’s dress with burnt orange and crimson and topaz yellow.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

It’s set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

Weighing five pounds, with a velvet cap and band of ermine fur, the crown includes a dazzling array of rubies, amethysts, sapphires, topazes, tourmalines and garnet.

From Salon ● May 5, 2023

The crown glitters with stones including tourmalines, white and yellow topazes, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, peridot, zircons, spinel and aquamarines.

From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2023

The St Edward's Crown, made up of a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines, follows its original medieval forebear in having four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis.

From Reuters ● Dec. 3, 2022

There, piled into enormous mounds that reached almost to the ceiling, were not only diamonds and emeralds and rubies but also sapphires, amethysts, topazes, moonstones, and garnets.

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster