opal
nounUK /ˈəʊpəl/ · US /ˈoʊpəl/
Etymology In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”). Distantly related to over.
Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Mineralogy, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.
- Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)2012 March 23, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2012, page 128:
Chemistry, Gemology, Geography, Geology, Jewelry, Lifestyle, Mineralogy, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
The colour of opal: any shade of blue with bright flecks of other colours, such as white, yellow, and red.
- The witchery of the dawn turned the grey river-reaches to purple, gold, and opal; and it was as though the lumbering dhoni crept across the splendors of a new heaven.1889, Rudyard Kipling, “Only A Subaltern”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 141:
Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Medicine, Microbiology, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA."
Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.
- Derived terms
30 terms
black opal, boulder opal, chloropal, fire opal, Grawin Opal Fields, jasper opal, opal aura, opaled, opalesce, opalescence, opalescent, opalesque, opaleye, opal glass, opalic, opaline, opalise, opalish, opalize, opalotype, opal pineapple, opal pseudomorph, Opalton, opalware, pineapple opal, pipe opal, semiopal, sun opal, wood opal, xylopal