amethyst
See also: Amethyst
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Am%C3%A9thystre_sceptre2.jpg/220px-Am%C3%A9thystre_sceptre2.jpg)
English
Etymology
From Middle English ametist, from Old French ametiste (French améthyste), from Ancient Greek ἀμέθυστος (améthustos, “not drunk”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + μεθύω (methúō, “I am drunk”), from μέθυ (méthu, “wine”). The Greeks believed that the amethyst prevented intoxication.
Pronunciation
Noun
amethyst (plural amethysts)
- A transparent purple variety of quartz, used as a gemstone.
- 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist[1], volume 100, number 2, page 128:
- Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
- (uncountable) A purple colour.
- amethyst:
- (heraldry) The purple tincture when emblazoning the arms of the English nobility.
Translations
gem
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colour
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Adjective
amethyst (comparative more amethyst, superlative most amethyst)
- Having a colour similar to that of the gemstone
Translations
colour
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See also
Further reading
- David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Amethyst”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
- “amethyst”, in Mindat.org[2], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2024.
- The Manual of Heraldry, Fifth Edition, by Anonymous, London, 1862, online at [3]
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English uncountable nouns
- en:Heraldic tinctures
- Hakka terms with redundant script codes
- English adjectives
- en:Birthstones
- en:Gems
- en:Purples