opal
Meanings
noun
- A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.
- 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.
- A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA."
- Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.
name
- A unisex given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.
- A female given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.
- A male given name from English from the precious stone, invented in the nineteenth century.
- A type of petrol made by British Petroleum designed to be unable to be used for petrol sniffing.
- A hamlet in Alberta, Canada.
- A census-designated place in Virginia.
- A town in Wyoming.
Pronunciation
Word forms
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.
Derived words
Translations
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