amethyst

4 definitions found

amethyst - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Amethyst \Am"e*thyst\, [F. ametiste, amatiste, F. am['e]thyste,
     L. amethystus, fr. Gr. ? without drunkenness; as a noun, a
     remedy for drunkenness, the amethyst, supposed to have this
     power; 'a priv. + ? to be drunken, ? strong drink, wine. See
     Mead.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. (Min.) A variety of crystallized quartz, of a purple or
        bluish violet color, of different shades. It is much used
        as a jeweler's stone.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Oriental amethyst, the violet-blue variety of transparent
        crystallized corundum or sapphire.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Her.) A purple color in a nobleman's escutcheon, or coat
        of arms.
        [1913 Webster]

  colorful \colorful\ adj.
     1. having striking color. Opposite of colorless.
  
     Note: [Narrower terms: changeable, chatoyant, iridescent, shot
           ; deep, rich; flaming; fluorescent, glowing;
           prismatic; psychedelic; red, ruddy, flushed, empurpled
           ]
  
     Syn: colourful.
          [WordNet 1.5]
  
     2. striking in variety and interest. Opposite of colorless
        or dull. [Narrower terms: brave, fine, gay, glorious;
        flamboyant, resplendent, unrestrained; flashy, gaudy,  jazzy, showy, snazzy, sporty
        ; picturesque]
        [WordNet 1.5]
  
     3. having color or a certain color; not black, white or grey;
        as, colored crepe paper. Opposite of colorless and
        monochrome.
  
     Note: [Narrower terms: tinted; touched, tinged; amber, brownish-yellow, yellow-brown
           ; amethyst; auburn, reddish-brown
           ; aureate, gilded, gilt, gold, golden;
           azure, cerulean, sky-blue, bright blue; bicolor, bicolour, bicolored, bicoloured, bichrome
           ; blue, bluish, light-blue, dark-blue
           ; blushful, blush-colored, rosy
           ; bottle-green; bronze, bronzy;
           brown, brownish, dark-brown; buff; canary, canary-yellow
           ; caramel, caramel brown; carnation;
           chartreuse; chestnut; dun; earth-colored, earthlike
           ; fuscous; green, greenish, light-green, dark-green
           ; jade, jade-green; khaki; lavender, lilac
           ; mauve; moss green, mosstone; motley, multicolor, culticolour, multicolored, multicoloured, painted, particolored, particoloured, piebald, pied, varicolored, varicoloured
                               ; mousy, mouse-colored;
           ocher, ochre; olive-brown; olive-drab; olive;
           orange, orangish; peacock-blue; pink, pinkish;
           purple, violet, purplish; red, blood-red, carmine, cerise, cherry, cherry-red, crimson, ruby, ruby-red, scarlet
                     ; red, reddish; rose, roseate; rose-red;
           rust, rusty, rust-colored; snuff, snuff-brown, snuff-color, snuff-colour, snuff-colored, snuff-coloured, mummy-brown, chukker-brown
                     ; sorrel, brownish-orange
           ; stone, stone-gray; straw-color, straw-colored, straw-coloured
           ; tan; tangerine;
           tawny; ultramarine; umber; vermilion, vermillion, cinibar, Chinese-red
           ; yellow, yellowish;
           yellow-green; avocado; bay; beige; blae bluish-black or gray-blue)
           ; coral; creamy; cress green, cresson, watercress
           ; hazel; honey, honey-colored
           ; hued(postnominal); magenta;
           maroon; pea-green; russet; sage, sage-green;
           sea-green] [Also See: chromatic, colored, dark,
           light.]
  
     Syn: colored, coloured, in color(predicate).
          [WordNet 1.5]

amethyst - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  amethyst
      adj 1: of a moderate purple color
      n 1: a transparent purple variety of quartz; used as a gemstone

amethyst - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :

  Amethyst
  one of the precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest
  (Ex. 28:19; 39:12), and in the foundation of the New Jerusalem
  (Rev. 21:20). The ancients thought that this stone had the power
  of dispelling drunkenness in all who wore or touched it, and
  hence its Greek name formed from _a_, "privative," and _methuo_,
  "to get drunk." Its Jewish name, _ahlamah'_, was derived by the
  rabbins from the Hebrew word _halam_, "to dream," from its
  supposed power of causing the wearer to dream.
  
    It is a pale-blue crystallized quartz, varying to a dark
  purple blue. It is found in Persia and India, also in different
  parts of Europe.