Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English emeraude, emeralde < Anglo-French, Old French esmeraude, esmeralde, esmeragde < Latin smaragdus < Greek smáragdos; probably ultimately < Semitic b-r-q shine (≫ Sanskrit marāk(a)la emerald)

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

emerald (ˈɛmərəld, ˈɛmrəld)

—n
1.	a green transparent variety of beryl: highly valued as a gem
2.	a. the clear green colour of an emerald
	b. (as adjective): an emerald carpet
3.	(formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 6½ point
4.	short for emerald moth

[C13: from Old French esmeraude, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos; related to Sanskrit marakata emerald]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

emerald

c.1300, from O.Fr. emeraude, from M.L. esmaraldus, from L. smaragdus, from Gk. smaragdos "green gem," from Sem. baraq "shine" (cf. Heb. bareqeth "emerald," Arabic barq "lightning"). Skt. maragdam "emerald" is from the same source, as is Pers. zumurrud, whence Turk. zümrüd, source of Rus. izumrud

EXPAND

"emerald."

"In early examples the word, like most other names of precious stones, is of vague meaning; the mediæval references to the stone are often based upon the descriptions given by classical writers of the smaragdus, the identity of which with our emerald is doubtful." [OED]

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

emerald

(ěm'ər-əld) Pronunciation Key
A transparent, green form of the mineral beryl. It is valued as a gem.

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

Emerald definition

An object-oriented distributed programming language and environment developed at the University of Washington in the early 1980s. Emeral was the successor to EPL. It is strongly typed and uses signatures and prototypes rather than inheritance.
["Distribution and Abstract Types in Emerald", A. Black et al, IEEE Trans Soft Eng SE-13(1):65-76 (Jan 1987)].
(1994-11-09)

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Emerald definition

Heb. nophek (Ex. 28:18; 39:11); i.e., the "glowing stone", probably the carbuncle, a precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest. It is mentioned (Rev. 21:19) as one of the foundations of the New Jerusalem. The name given to this stone in the New Testament Greek is smaragdos, which means "live coal."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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"A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane's and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. Her thighs, fuller and softhued as ivory, were bared almost to the hips where white fringes of her drawers were like featherings of soft white down. Her slateblue skirts were kilted boldly about her waist and dovetailed behind her. Her bosom was as a bird's soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some darkplumaged dove. But her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face."

-James Joyce

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Emerald

em·er·ald

Emerald definition

Emerald definition