sapphire

English Online Dictionary. What means sapphire‎? What does sapphire mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English saphir, from Old French saphir, from Latin sapphir, sappir, sapphīrus, from Ancient Greek σάπφειρος (sáppheiros, “precious stone, gem”), from a Semitic language such as Hebrew סַפִּיר (sappī́r, “lapis lazuli”), originally from Assyrian Akkadian šipirtu (“lapis lazuli”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsæf.aɪ̯ə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsæf.aɪ̯ɚ/
• Hyphenation: sap‧phire

Noun

sapphire (countable and uncountable, plural sapphires)

2. (countable) A clear deep blue variety of corundum, valued as a precious stone.
3. (countable and uncountable) A white, yellow, or purple variety of corundum, either clear or translucent.
4. (countable and uncountable) A deep blue colour.

5. (heraldry) Azure, when blazoning by precious stones.
6. (countable) Any hummingbird in the genera Hylocharis and Chlorestes, as well as the rufous-throated sapphire, which is now in the genus Amazilia.
7. Any of the butterflies in the southern Asian lycaenid genus Heliophorus or the African lycaenid genus Iolaus.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Tokelauan: hafaila
• → Welsh: saffir

Translations

See also

• corundum

Adjective

sapphire (comparative more sapphire, superlative most sapphire)

1. of a deep blue colour.
2. pertaining to a 45th year

Derived terms

(45 years):

• sapphire anniversary
• sapphire jubilee

Translations

See also

• Sapphire

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Sapphire”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “sapphire”, in Mindat.org‎^[2], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.

Anagrams

• paperish, papisher

Latin

Noun

sapphīre f

1. vocative singular of sapphīrus

References

• “sapphire”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers