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opal

UK/ˈəʊpəl/ US/ˈoʊpəl/ uncommon rare

noun

1.

a translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color; some varieties are used as gemstones

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • black opal
  • boulder opal
  • fire opal
  • Grawin Opal Fields
  • jasper opal
  • opal aura
  • opal glass
  • opal pineapple

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.