mother-of-pearl

Signification (Anglais)

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The hard pearly inner layer of certain mollusk shells; nacre.
2. (countable, uncountable) A butterfly of the genus Salamis.

Adj

Made from or looking like mother-of-pearl; iridescent or pearly.

Concepts

nacre

Synonymes

nacre

mother of pearl

pearl

nacrous

Traductions

nácar

madreperla

Perlmutt

madrepérola

parelmoer

sedef

Perlmutter

paarlemoer

sedef

nacre

nácar

sintefi

μάργαρο

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/

Étymologie (Anglais)

Calque of Latin māter perlārum, with the first element perhaps connected in popular imagination with obsolete mother (“dregs”). Possibly referring to the fact that the nacre-lined shells are the belly (“mother”) in which pearls are produced.