opal
noun
Simple meaning
A translucent mineral made up of hydrated silica of variable color.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ohpuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈoʊpəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
gemology
A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
mineralogy
A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color; some varieties are used as gemstones
mineralogy
A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.
The colour of opal: any shade of blue with bright flecks of other colours, such as white, yellow, and red.
Australia
A type of petrol made by British Petroleum designed to be unable to be used for petrol sniffing.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (gemology) A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
Used this way, opal is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use opal
- “Her engagement ring has a beautiful opal that shines with many colors.”noun
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.