pearly

[ pur-lee ]

adjective

, pearl·i·er, pearl·i·est.

1. like a pearl, especially in being white or lustrous; nacreous:

   her pearly teeth.

2. adorned with or abounding in pearls or mother-of-pearl.

pearly

/ ˈpɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. resembling a pearl, esp in lustre
2. of the colour pearl; pale bluish-grey
3. decorated with pearls or mother-of-pearl

noun

1. a London costermonger who wears on ceremonial occasions a traditional dress of dark clothes covered with pearl buttons
2. plural the clothes or the buttons themselves

Derived Forms

• ˈpearliness, noun

Other Words From

• pearli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pearly¹

First recorded in 1400–50, pearly is from the late Middle English word peerly. See pearl, -y ¹

Example Sentences

“For example, when you look at oyster shells, they have an iridescence of pearly green and blue, and that’s definitely from minerals like copper,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

But the spermaceti is full of goo resembling the pearly hue of human sperm, and possesses oily properties that once led humans to hunt them to the brink of extinction.

From Salon

I’m probably seconds from pearly gates and angels.

From Literature

And what is most remembered about a performance to Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings” is “the transcendent scene of 17 women onstage, swathed in the palest and pearliest of blues.”

From New York Times

There was a din of crickets outside, and the pauseless roar of the river, and the stately world was illumined with pearly moonlight; but inside the log it was dark and hushed, like a crypt.

From Literature

Related Words

• frosted
• iridescent
• milky
• off-white