sapphire

[saf-ahyuh r] /ˈsæf aɪər/

noun

any gem variety of corundum other than the ruby, especially one of the blue varieties.

a gem of this kind.

the color of this gem, a deep blue.

adjective

resembling sapphire; deep blue:

a sapphire sky.

Origin

1225-75; < Latin sapphīrus < Greek sáppheiros, probably < Semitic (compare Hebrew sappīr; ulterior origin obscure); replacing Middle English safir < Old French < Latin, as above

Examples from the web for sapphire

His expansive collection of precious everyday objects includes a jewel encrusted baseball and a sapphire-studded mailbox.
The heart of the detector is made out of a thin film of aluminum on a sapphire substrate.
Picture the world's oceans, glimmering sapphire under the heat of the sun and the protection of the ozone layer.
With certain impurities it is known as ruby or sapphire silicon dioxide- aka quartz.
The nearer peaks are perchance clad in sapphire blue, others far off in creamy white.
The blue crab is so named because of its sapphire-tinted claws.
Tiny structures in the feathers choreograph incoming light, reflecting sapphire in one direction, emerald in another.
Theirs are the airy castles which are set upon foundations of sapphire.
The sky was sapphire, the sun splendid and pitiless, the heat sweltering.
They start by etching grooves into the substrate, leaving a series of thin sapphire ridges, each about one micrometer wide.

British Dictionary definitions for sapphire

sapphire

/ˈsæfaɪə/

noun

any precious corundum gemstone that is not red, esp the highly valued transparent blue variety. A synthetic form is used in electronics and precision apparatus. Formula: Al2O3
(as modifier): a sapphire ring

the blue colour of sapphire
(as adjective): sapphire eyes

Word Origin

C13 safir, from Old French, from Latin sapphīrus, from Greek sappheiros, perhaps from Hebrew sappīr, ultimately perhaps from Sanskrit śanipriya, literally: beloved of the planet Saturn, from śani Saturn + priya beloved

Word Origin and History for sapphire

"precious stone next in hardness to a diamond," mid-13c., from Old French saphir (12c.) and directly from Latin sapphirus (cf. Spanish zafir, Italian zaffiro), from Greek sappheiros "blue stone" (the gem meant apparently was not the one that now has the name, but perhaps rather "lapis lazuli," the modern sapphire being perhaps signified by Greek hyakinthos), from a Semitic source (cf. Hebrew sappir "sapphire"), but probably not ultimately from Semitic. Some linguists propose an origin in Sanskrit sanipriya, a dark precious stone (perhaps sapphire or emerald), literally "sacred to Saturn," from Sani "Saturn" + priyah "precious." In Renaissance lapidaries, it was said to cure anger and stupidity. As an adjective from early 15c. Related: Sapphiric; sapphirine.

sapphire in Science

sapphire

(sāf'īr')
A clear, fairly pure form of the mineral corundum that is usually blue but may be any color except red. It often contains small amounts of oxides of cobalt, chromium, and titanium and is valued as a gem. Compare ruby.

sapphire in the Bible

Associated with diamonds (Ex. 28:18) and emeralds (Ezek. 28:13); one of the stones in the high priest's breastplate. It is a precious stone of a sky-blue colour, probably the lapis lazuli, brought from Babylon. The throne of God is described as of the colour of a sapphire (Ex. 24:10; comp. Ezek. 1:26).