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balas

[ bal-uhs, bey-luhs ]

noun

, Mineralogy.
  1. a rose-red variety of spinel.


balas

/ ˈbeɪ-; ˈbæləs /

noun

  1. a red variety of spinel, used as a gemstone Also calledbalas ruby
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of balas1

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin balasius, variant of balascius < Arabic balakhsh, back formation from Persian Badakhshān, district near Samarkand, where gem is found
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Word History and Origins

Origin of balas1

C15: from Old French balais , from Arabic bālakhsh , from Badhakhshān , region in Afghanistan where the gem is found
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Example Sentences

“SOS,” it reads in black, as he writes, in red, “Las balas,” the bullets.

Mention has been made above of a stone frequently substituted for the true ruby, called the “spinel” or “balas” ruby.

The balas money which you now pay the pirates will be counted with your profits, for I will drive the pirates from these seas.

That may explain why, for centuries, the two were considered doppelgängers — in antiquity, spinel was known as balas ruby, derived from the word Badakhshan.

In 1382 a circlet crown was purchased for Queen Anne of Bohemia, being set with a large sapphire, a balas, and four large pearls with a diamond in the centre.

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BalaramaBalashikha