nacre
Use Nacre in a sentence
kər noun
Origin:
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin nacrum, nacer, variant of nacara < Old Italian naccara kind of drum, nacre < Arabic naqqārah drum
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin nacrum, nacer, variant of nacara < Old Italian naccara kind of drum, nacre < Arabic naqqārah drum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To nacre
Collins
World English Dictionary
nacre (ˈneɪkə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| the technical name for mother-of-pearl | |
| [C16: via French from Old Italian naccara, from Arabic naqqārah shell, drum] | |
| 'nacred | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Nacre
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
nacre
1598, "type of shellfish that yields mother-of-pearl," from M.Fr., from It. naccaro (now nacchera), possibly ult. from Arabic nakara "to hollow out," in ref. to the shape of the mollusk shell. Meaning "mother-of-pearl" is from 1718.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
nacre  (nā'kər) Pronunciation Key
See mother-of-pearl. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
To reduce irritation, it is coated with nacre, the same secretion the animal uses to grow its shell.
When an intruder bores into the oyster shell, the oyster reacts by covering it with nacre, producing a pearl.
Many biological materials use the same trick to increase their strength, materials such as bone, teeth and nacre.
Cultured pearls are formed by the deposition of nacre onto a spherical nucleus.
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