sapphire
sapphire Lexical Profile
sapphire Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A precious gemstone of transparent to translucent corundum, typically blue in color, though it can occur in various other colors.
"The antique ring was set with a large, flawless sapphire surrounded by small diamonds."
A brilliant, deep blue color resembling that of the gemstone.
"The artist mixed ultramarine and cobalt to achieve the perfect sapphire for the evening sky."
Word Nuance & Usage
While sapphires are most famously associated with the color blue, mineralogically the term refers to any color of gem-quality corundum except red, which is distinctly classified as a ruby.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old French 'saphir', via Latin 'sapphirus', and ultimately from Ancient Greek 'sappheiros' (σάπφειρος), which likely referred initially to lapis lazuli before being applied to blue corundum.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.