meerschaum
/ˈmɪəʃɔːm
/ /ˈmɪəʃəm/noun [mass noun]
1A soft white clay-like material consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate, found chiefly in Turkey.
1.1 (also meerschaum pipe) [count noun] A tobacco pipe with a bowl made from meerschaum.Like Dupin, Dr. Bender smokes a meerschaum pipe, filled with cheap tobacco....
- The biggest surprise was Everett's Holmes: a compelling, brilliant, darkly original character, much closer to the original stories than to the deerstalkers and meerschaums and Basil Rathbone.
- You see him nursing a meerschaum pipe.
Origin
Late 18th century: from German, literally 'sea foam', from Meer 'sea' + Schaum 'foam', translation of Persian kef-i-daryā (alluding to the frothy appearance of the silicate).