aquamarine
/ˌakwəməˈriːn
/noun
1A precious stone consisting of a light bluish-green variety of beryl: a small boy with eyes the colour of aquamarines [as modifier]: a square-cut aquamarine pendant...
- Again, it is assumed that readers know aquamarine is beryl, amethyst is quartz, and Iceland spar is calcite but cannot grapple with the complexity of remembering that spessartine and grossular are garnets.
- The other gems include aquamarines, beryl and moonstones, which are designed to suit one's personality.
- Smoky quartz, topaz, and microcline variety amazonite from the Pikes Peak Granite and beryl variety aquamarine from Mount Antero are well-known Colorado gemstones from pegmatites.
1.1A light bluish-green colour: [as modifier]: the aquamarine water...
- The aquamarine colour of the water glowed from the pools lights and reflected on the walls, making it the only source of light in the room.
- With a few sips you can see the aquamarine waters, feel the gentle breeze, and start swaying like a palm frond.
- Our last stop is a spot called Emerald Cave, where the sun's rays don't reach the water, but the water glows a vivid aquamarine, as if lit from below.
Origin
Early 18th century: from Latin aqua marina 'seawater'.
In Latin aqua means ‘water’ and marina means ‘of the sea, marine’. Put them together and you get aquamarine, a precious stone the blue-green colour of sea water. Other words from aqua include aquarium (mid 19th century), aquatic (Late Middle English), and aqueduct (mid 16th century), which is combined with Latin ducere ‘to lead’.