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opal

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊpəl/

The English word “opal” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.
  2. A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)
  3. The colour of opal: any shade of blue with bright flecks of other colours, such as white, yellow, and red.
  4. A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA."
  5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.

Etymology

In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”). Distantly related to over.

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