mother-of-pearl
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
mother-of-pearl
- /ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/
Where it comes from
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.
noun mother-of-pearls · mother of pearl
- The hard pearly inner layer of certain mollusk shells; nacre. Ah, those Indian warehouses made the morning pass in a charming manner! many a soft confession was whispered over a huge china jar; many a heart has succumbed to a suite of mother-of-pearl card-box and counters; and as to the shawls, why, the whole feminine world has long ago acknowledged them to be
- A butterfly of the genus Salamis.
- A butterfly of the species Patania ruralis.
Similar: nacre
adjective
- Made from or looking like mother-of-pearl; iridescent or pearly.
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: nacre
Translations
Every language
noun pearly layer
| Español | nácar, madreperla |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 진주층 jinjucheung, 진주모 jinjumo |
| 日本語 | 真珠層 shinjusō, 真珠母 shinjubo |
| 中文 | 珍珠母 zhēnzhūmǔ, 珧 yáo |
| हिन्दी | सदफ़ sadaf, सदफ sadaph |
| Português | madrepérola, nácar |
| Français | nacre |
| Deutsch | Perlmutt, Perlmutter |
| Italiano | madreperla |
| Ελληνικά | φίλντισι fílntisi |
| Română | sidef |
| Русский | перламу́тр perlamútr |
| Tiếng Việt | xà cừ |
| العربية | عِرْق اللُّؤْلُؤ ʕirq al-luʔluʔ, زِلْف zilf, زَلَف zalaf, صَدَف ṣadaf, أُمّ اللَّآلِئ ʔumm al-laʔāliʔ |
| עברית | דַּר dar |
Talk about this word "mother-of-pearl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mother-of-pearl. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. mother-of-pearl. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mother-of-pearl "mother-of-pearl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mother-of-pearl.Cite this
@misc{mother_of_pearl_2026,
title = {mother-of-pearl},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mother-of-pearl},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
