azure

American  

[azh-er] / ˈæʒ ər /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of the colour azure; serene

2. (usually postpositive) heraldry of the colour blue

Etymology

Origin of azure

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

Example Sentences

Joseph’s family held a small service for him in a church overlooking the Caribbean’s azure waters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

Mauve mountain peaks jut into the azure sky at the horizon.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024

It’s made of blue, I don’t know what it is, azure of some kind, and gold, and that’s going to be the face of the watch.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024

He and his team found that both worlds are in fact a similar shade of greenish blue, despite the commonly-held belief that Neptune is a deep azure and Uranus has a pale cyan appearance.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2024

He had silver boots now, and a muff, and a piece of azure curtain which he wore like a toga.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut