emerald

1 of 2

noun

em·​er·​ald ˈe-mə-rəld 

ˈem-rəld

1

: a rich green variety of beryl prized as a gemstone

2

: any of various green gemstones (such as synthetic corundum or demantoid)

emerald

2 of 2

adjective

: brightly or richly green

Did you know?

Highly valued as gemstones, emeralds are a grass-green variety of beryl. The capacity of emeralds to deflect light and to break white light into its component colors is not high, so cut stones display little brilliancy or fire (flashes of color). The color that gives this gem its value comes from the presence of small amounts of chromium. The most important production of fine-quality gem material is Colombia; emeralds are also mined in Russia, Australia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Synthetic emeralds are identical to natural crystals and may rival them in color and beauty.

Examples of emerald in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rest of the models sported custom jewelry looks using over 1,000 carats of white diamonds, Colombian emeralds, padparadsha sapphires, pink diamonds and canary yellow diamonds. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 9 July 2025

The San José was a 150-foot-long, 64-gun ship that set sail for Spain in 1708, loaded with a cargo of gold, silver and emeralds and a crew of more than 500 men. —Aurora Martínez, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025

Adjective

Fred turned his gaze from skyward to sideways, taking Lily in with those emerald eyes. —Literary Hub, 9 July 2025

Her emerald, black and white jumpsuit glistened under the bright lights of Nissan. —Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English emerallde, from Anglo-French esmeralde, from Vulgar Latin *smaralda, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos — more at smaragd

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1508, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing emerald

• emerald ash borer
• emerald cut
• emerald green

Kids Definition

emerald

1 of 2 noun

em·​er·​ald ˈem-(ə-)rəld 

: a rich green gem

emerald

2 of 2 adjective

: brightly or richly green