turquoise meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

turquoise

noun

UK /ˈtɜː(ɹ).k(w)ɔɪz/ · US /ˈtɝ.k(w)ɔɪz/

Etymology From Middle French turquoise, from Old French (pierre) turquoise (“Turkish (stone)”), from turc + -ois. The stone, mined near Nishapur in the Khorasan region of Persia, was originally brought to Europe through Turkey. Doublet of Turkish.

A sky-blue, greenish-blue, or greenish-gray semi-precious gemstone.

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:

A pale greenish-blue colour, like that of the gemstone.

The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

Synonyms: blue-green, green-blue, greenish blue, turquoise blue
Derived terms: bone turquoise, Bisbee turquoise, turquoise-browed motmot, turquoise parrot, Turquoise Lake
Related terms: turquoisish, turquoisey, turquoisy, turquoiselike, turquoised

turquoise

adj

Made of turquoise (the gemstone).

Having a pale greenish-blue colour.

Derived terms: turquoiseberry
Related terms: augite