beryl

¹ American  

[ber-uhl] / ˈbɛr əl /

noun

1. a mineral, beryllium aluminum silicate, Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 , usually green, but also blue, rose, white, and golden, and both opaque and transparent, the latter variety including the gems emerald and aquamarine: the principal ore of beryllium.

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Beryl ² American  

[ber-il] / ˈbɛr ɪl /

noun

1. a first name.

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beryl British  

/ ˈbɛrɪl /

noun

1. a white, blue, yellow, green, or pink mineral, found in coarse granites and igneous rocks. It is a source of beryllium and is sometimes used as a gemstone; the green variety is emerald, the blue is aquamarine. Composition: beryllium aluminium silicate. Formula: Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 . Crystal structure: hexagonal

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beryl Scientific  

/ bĕr′əl /

1. A usually green or bluish-green hexagonal mineral occurring as transparent to translucent prisms in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Transparent varieties, such as emeralds and aquamarine, are valued as gems. Beryl is the main source of the element beryllium. Chemical formula: Be ₃ Al ₂ Si ₆ O ₁₈ .

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Usage

What does beryl mean? Beryl is a mineral whose transparent varieties are used as gemstones. Both emerald and aquamarine are varieties of beryl.Beryl gems occur in a variety of colors, including green (emerald), green-blue (aquamarine), yellow (heliodor), and pink (morganite).Beryl is sometimes considered an alternate birthstone for the month of November, and it is associated with the zodiac sign Scorpio.Beryl is the main source of the element beryllium, which is used to make alloys.Example: The most popular form of beryl is the radiant emerald.

Other Word Forms

• beryline adjective

Etymology

Origin of beryl

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English beril, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin bērillus, from Latin bēryllus, from Greek bḗryllos, bērýllion, from Prakrit veruḷiya (compare Sanskrit vaiḍūrya ), from Pali veḷuriya, originally referring to white beryl or quartz, of uncertain Dravidian origin, perhaps after Belur, Karnataka, where the mineral was mined (akin to Kannada biḷi “white” + ūru “habitation, town”)

Example Sentences

The emerald, Brazilian authorities say, was discovered in a beryl mine in the country in 2001 and later smuggled to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

If the quartz can’t scratch the specimen, it might be beryl or corundum, which are harder than quartz.

From Scientific American

One of the mightiest of the stones on display at the museum is a four-foot-tall, 7,756-pound hunk of grayish-green rock called beryl, from which come emeralds as well as beryllium.

From New York Times

Oxford County, they learned, was a mining center famous for its tourmaline, quartz and beryl.

From New York Times

The Massachusetts couple became interested in the local mining history and bought a tract that included the Bumpus Mine, which had produced feldspar and the gemstone beryl.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• blue-green
• olive