Semiprecious

Semiprecious
Semiprecious Sem`i*pre"cious (s[e^]m`[i^]*pr[e^]sh"[u^]s), a. Somewhat precious; as, semiprecious stones or metals. Used mostly of gemstones used in jewelry, such as amethyst, garnet, or iolite, which are sufficiently rare to have commercial value, but are not considered as {precious}, as are the diamond, emerald, and ruby. [1913 Webster +PJC]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • semiprecious — also semi precious, 1905, from SEMI (Cf. semi ) + PRECIOUS (Cf. precious) …   Etymology dictionary

  • semiprecious — [sem΄ipresh′əs] adj. designating gems of lower value than those classified as precious: said of the garnet, turquoise, etc …   English World dictionary

  • semiprecious — adjective Sort of or somewhat precious or valuable. Usually used as part of the terms semiprecious stone or semiprecious gem. See Also: semiprecious stone, semiprecious gem …   Wiktionary

  • semiprecious — sem|i|pre|cious [ ,semi preʃəs, ,semaı preʃəs ] adjective a semiprecious stone is one that is used in jewelry and is valuable, but not as valuable as a precious stone such as a DIAMOND or EMERALD …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • semiprecious — sem•i•pre•cious [[t]ˌsɛm iˈprɛʃ əs, ˌsɛm aɪ [/t]] adj. jew having commercial value as a gem but not classified as precious: semiprecious minerals[/ex] …   From formal English to slang

  • semiprecious — adjective Date: 1858 of a gemstone of less commercial value than a precious stone …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • semiprecious — /sem ee presh euhs, sem uy /, adj. (of a stone) having commercial value as a gem but not classified as precious, as the amethyst or garnet. [1885 90; SEMI + PRECIOUS] * * * …   Universalium

  • semiprecious — adj. having a moderate commercial value, somewhat valuable (about a gemstone) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • semiprecious — semi·precious …   English syllables

  • semiprecious — /sɛmiˈprɛʃəs / (say semee preshuhs) adjective (of a gem) having value, but not classified as precious, as the amethyst, garnet, etc …  

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