turquoise

English

Alternative forms

• Turkies (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle French turquoise, from Old French (pierre) turquoise (“Turkish (stone)”), from turc +‎ -ois. The stone, mined near Nishapur in the Khorasan region of Persia, was originally brought to Europe through Turkey. Doublet of Turkish.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜː(ɹ).k(w)ɔɪz/, /ˈtɜː(ɹ).k(w)ɔɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɝ.k(w)ɔɪz/, /ˈtɝ.k(w)ɔɪs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

turquoise (countable and uncountable, plural turquoises)

1. (countable) A sky-blue, greenish-blue, or greenish-gray semi-precious gemstone.
   • 2012 March, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, 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.)

2. (countable and uncountable) A pale greenish-blue colour, like that of the gemstone.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. To display them the walls had been tinted a vivid blue which had now faded, but the carpet, which had evidently been stored and recently relaid, retained its original turquoise.

   turquoise:  

Synonyms

• (colour): blue-green, green-blue, greenish blue, turquoise blue

Derived terms

• bone turquoise
• Bisbee turquoise
• turquoise parrot

Related terms

• turquoisish
• turquoisey/turquoisy
• turquoiselike
• turquoised

Translations

Further reading

• turquoise on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Adjective

turquoise (comparative more turquoise, superlative most turquoise)

1. Made of turquoise (the gemstone).
2. Having a pale greenish-blue colour.

Translations

See also

• (blues) blue; Alice blue, aqua, aquamarine, azure, baby blue, beryl, bice, bice blue, blue green, blue violet, blueberry, cadet blue, Cambridge blue, cerulean, cobalt blue, Copenhagen blue, cornflower, cornflower blue, cyan, dark blue, Dodger blue, duck-egg blue, eggshell blue, electric blue, gentian blue, ice blue, lapis lazuli, light blue, lovat, mazarine, midnight blue, navy, Nile blue, Oxford blue, peacock blue, petrol blue, powder blue, Prussian blue, robin's-egg blue, royal blue, sapphire, saxe blue, slate blue, sky blue, teal, turquoise, ultramarine, Wedgwood blue, zaffre ^{(Category: en:Blues)}
• augite

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French turquois, from turc +‎ -ois.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tyʁ.kwaz/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

turquoise f (plural turquoises)

2. turquoise (gemstone)

Descendants

• Greek: τυρκουάζ (tyrkouáz)
• Turkish: turkuaz
• Romanian: turcoază (stone)

Noun

turquoise m (plural turquoises)

2. turquoise (colour)

Adjective

turquoise (invariable)

1. turquoise-colored

Descendants

• Greek: τυρκουάζ (tyrkouáz)
• Turkish: turkuaz
• Romanian: turcoază (colour)

Further reading

• “turquoise”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From French turquoise.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtyrˌkvaːs/,

Adjective

turquoise (masculine turquoisen, neuter turquoiset, comparative méi turquoise, superlative am turquoisesten)

1. turquoise, cyan, teal (of a greenish blue, often light, colour)

See also

Middle French

Alternative forms

• turcquoise

Etymology

Inherited from Old French turquois.

Noun

turquoise f (plural turquoises)

1. turquoise (precious stone)

Descendants

• French: turquoise (“gemstone”)
  • Greek: τυρκουάζ (tyrkouáz)
  • Turkish: turkuaz
  • Romanian: turcoază (stone)
  • French: turquoise (“colour”)
    • Greek: τυρκουάζ (tyrkouáz)
    • Turkish: turkuaz
    • Romanian: turcoază (colour)
• → English: turquoise
• → Luxembourgish: turquoise