moonstone · noun — A translucent gemstone, an orthoclase feldspar, that has a pearly lustre.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, moonstone ranks #7,103 of 17,142 for Most Vivid Words.
moonstone is pronounced /ˈmunˌstoʊn/.
Why “moonstone” is a great word
A translucent gemstone, an orthoclase feldspar, characterized by a pearly or opalescent luster reminiscent of moonlight. Its name derives from moon (Old English mōna, meaning the celestial body) + stone (Old English stān, meaning rock or mineral), first recorded in English 1625–35. Unlike an opal, which fractures light into spectral fire, or a quartz, which offers crystalline transparency, moonstone holds its light in a soft, milky suspension—the glow of a streetlamp through frosted glass, the sheen on still water before dawn, the cool radiance trapped inside river ice. It does not display; it suggests, a captured echo of a light that is always borrowed, never its own.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From moon + stone.
noun
- A translucent gemstone, an orthoclase feldspar, that has a pearly lustre.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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