mother-of-pearl

Meaning

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.

Synonyms

nacre

mother of pearl

pearl

nacrous

Translations

nacre

madreperla

nácar

Perlmutt

madrepérola

parelmoer

sedef

Perlmutter

paarlemoer

sedef

nácar

nacre

sintefi

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/

Etymology

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.