meerschaum

/ˈmɪər.ʃɔːm/

Etymology

Borrowed from German Meerschaum (literally “sea foam”).

Why this word is great

MEERSCHAUM — [Noun] A soft white mineral, chiefly used for making smoking-pipes and cigar holders, or a pipe made from this material. Borrowed from German Meerschaum, literally 'sea foam' (Meer 'sea' + Schaum 'foam'), named for its light, frothy appearance resembling sea foam. Unlike 'briar' (which is woody, dense, and earthy) or 'porcelain' (which is rigid and cold to the touch), meerschaum is warm, almost alive in the hand, its surface yielding to the carver’s knife like fresh cheese. It is the slow ambering of the bowl as it absorbs years of tobacco’s essence, the delicate filigree of a master’s handiwork on the stem, the way it rests in the palm with the weight of a seashell—a relic of some vanished shore, patiently waiting to be stained by time.

noun

  1. A soft white mineral, chiefly used for smoking-pipes and cigar holders.“He gazed around until on the lid of a spinet he spotted a promising collection of bottles, gin, whiskey, vermouth and sherry, mixed with violin bows, a flute, a toppling pile of books, six volumes of Grove's Dictionary mingled with paperback thrillers, a guitar without any strings, a pair of binoculars, a meerschaum pipe and a jar half-full of wasps and apricot jam.”
  2. A smoking-pipe made from meerschaum.“The sale of part of his property cleared the rest. A large portion of his income was put aside to accumulate. Horses, pictures, wines, bijouterie, German meerschaum, and Turkish hookahs, were alike brought to the hammer.”