mother-of-pearl
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An iridescence layer of mother-of-pearl covering the inner side of the Nautilus shell.
English
Etymology
Calque of Latin māter perlārum, with the first element perhaps connected in popular imagination with obsolete mother (“dregs”). Possibly referring to the fact that the nacre-lined shells are the belly (“mother”) in which pearls are produced.
Pronunciation
Noun
mother-of-pearl (countable and uncountable, plural mother-of-pearls)
- The hard pearly inner layer of certain mollusk shells; nacre.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Another London Life”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC, page 170:
- Ah, those Indian warehouses made the morning pass in a charming manner! many a soft confession was whispered over a huge china jar; many a heart has succumbed to a suite of mother-of-pearl card-box and counters; and as to the shawls, why, the whole feminine world has long ago acknowledged them to be irresistible.
- A butterfly of the genus Salamis.
Alternative forms
Synonyms
Translations
pearly layer
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Adjective
mother-of-pearl (not comparable)
- Made from or looking like mother-of-pearl; iridescent or pearly.
See also
References
- “mother-of-pearl”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “mother-of-pearl”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- "mother-of-pearl" in On-line Medical Dictionary, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1997–2005.
- "mother-of-pearl" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “mother-of-pearl”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.