meerschaum
Americannoun
-
a mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H 4 Mg 2 Si 3 O 1 0 , occurring in white, claylike masses, used for ornamental carvings, for pipe bowls, etc.; sepiolite.
-
a tobacco pipe with a bowl made of this substance.
noun
-
Also called: sepiolite. a white, yellowish, or pink compact earthy mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate: used to make tobacco pipes and as a building stone. Formula: Mg 2 Si 3 O 6 (OH) 4
-
a tobacco pipe having a bowl made of this mineral
Etymology
Origin of meerschaum
1775–85; < German Meerschaum, equivalent to Meer sea ( mere 2 ) + Schaum foam
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If, on the flip side, you have been consuming exclusively comics, exciting news: You are now twice as prestigious as you thought and can go buy a meerschaum smoking pipe.
From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2022
The Wellcome collection has dug out a cigar holder carved in 1864 from meerschaum clay, which was commonly used for making pipes.
From The Guardian • May 21, 2013
Vienna makes and sells fine porcelain, furniture, pearl buttons, meerschaum pipes, leather goods, luggage,* furs, jewelry.
From Time Magazine Archive
A distinguished institution with the moldy patina of an old meerschaum pipe is the American Academy of Arts & Letters.
From Time Magazine Archive
The old gentleman leaned back in his chair and lighted an enormous meerschaum pipe—Good gracious, he breathes fire, thought the Wart, who had never heard of tobacco—before he was ready to reply.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
