azure

[ azh-er ]

adjective

1. of or having a light, purplish shade of blue, like that of a clear and unclouded sky.
2. Heraldry. of the tincture or color blue.

noun

1. the blue of a clear or unclouded sky.
2. a light, purplish blue.
3. Heraldry. the tincture or color blue.
4. the clear, cloudless sky.

azure

/ ˈæʒə; ˈeɪ-; -ʒʊə /

noun

1. a deep blue, occasionally somewhat purple, similar to the colour of a clear blue sky
2. poetic.
   a clear blue sky

adjective

1. of the colour azure; serene
2. usually postpositive heraldry of the colour blue

Word History and Origins

Origin of azure¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English asure, from Anglo-French, Old French, ultimately alteration of Arabic al-lazuwar(d) (by misdividing the initial l together with the article), from Persian lāzhuward “lapis lazuli,” perhaps from Sanskrit rājāvarta

Word History and Origins

Origin of azure¹

C14: from Old French azur, from Old Spanish, from Arabic lāzaward lapis lazuli, from Persian lāzhuward

Example Sentences

In Triglav, the largest protected area in Slovenia, rugged tree-strewn peaks fall away dramatically into mirror-clear azure lakes.

From Outside Online

From the property, birdwatch in the surrounding Sierra Madre highlands and spot endemic species like the pink-headed warbler and azure-rumped tanager.

From Outside Online

Another victim of over tourism was Croatia’s oldest and largest national park, Plitvice, famous for its insanely beautiful lakes of the most ethereal azure blue you’ve ever seen.

From The Daily Beast

His piercing azure eyes are complemented by a new addition to his appearance: a septum piercing in his nose.

From The Daily Beast

Per Pale means that the Shield is divided vertically with one half blue (Azure) and the other half red (Gules).

From The Daily Beast

Softly tremble in the delicate blue mist and the azure spirals from his old Virginia clay—the domes of a sea-bathed city.

From Project Gutenberg

In his verses he was frequently led from the mists and mud of Paris to the countries of light, azure, and perfume.

From Project Gutenberg

The filmy, azure angles at the tip were straining to part, held together by just one drop of light.

From Project Gutenberg

It is in the most beautiful azure depths of the limpid water that this hideous, voracious polyp delights.

From Project Gutenberg

Gilt and scarlet and azure the palaces rose in every direction, under a wilderness of fluttering flags.

From Project Gutenberg