turquoise
turquoise — noun
1. A greenish-blue stone that is softer and less expensive than precious gems such
A greenish-blue stone that is softer and less expensive than precious gems such as diamonds or rubies, often cut into smooth rounded shapes and set in silver jewellery.
Ziad bought his mother a silver bracelet set with small pieces of turquoise.
collocation: set with turquoise — used when the stone is part of jewellery
The ancient Egyptians mined turquoise in the Sinai desert over four thousand years ago.
Baraka examined each turquoise carefully before choosing one for the ring he was making.
Turquoise from the southwestern United States often has dark veins running through the blue stone.
The necklace had three large turquoises set between polished silver beads.
- gemstone
A general term for any precious or semi-precious stone; turquoise is one type of gemstone.
- semi-precious stone
A broader category that includes turquoise as well as stones like jade, amethyst, and opal — less valuable than precious stones.
用法筆記
Turquoise can be countable when referring to individual stones ('a carved turquoise'; 'three turquoises') or uncountable when referring to the material in general ('a piece of turquoise').
常見錯誤
2. A colour that blends blue and green, similar to the shade of the gemstone turquo
A colour that blends blue and green, similar to the shade of the gemstone turquoise — like the shallow water of a tropical sea or the feathers of certain birds.
The bathroom walls were a soft turquoise that made the room feel cool and calm.
collocation: soft / pale / bright turquoise — adjectives commonly used before the colour name
Eleni chose a turquoise scarf to brighten her plain grey coat.
Turquoise became a fashionable colour for kitchen appliances in the 1950s.
The water near the beach was a brilliant turquoise that shimmered under the midday sun.
Reema mixed blue and green paint until she found the turquoise shade she wanted.
- teal
A darker, more greenish blue than turquoise, often associated with the colour of the teal duck's head.
- aquamarine
A lighter, more transparent blue-green than turquoise, named after the semi-precious stone of the same colour.
- cyan
A bright, pure greenish-blue that lacks the grey or muted tones turquoise can have.
用法筆記
Like most colour names, turquoise is uncountable when referring to the colour in general ('shades of turquoise'). For a specific item, 'a' + adjective + 'turquoise' is common ('a deep turquoise').
常見錯誤
turquoise — adjective
1. Having a colour between blue and green, like the gemstone turquoise or the clear
Having a colour between blue and green, like the gemstone turquoise or the clear water of a warm sea.
A turquoise blue swimming pool sparkled at the centre of the hotel garden.
collocation: turquoise blue — the two colour words used together
Camila wore a long turquoise dress to her sister's outdoor wedding.
The old window shutters had been painted a faded turquoise by the salty sea air.
Kenji's painting used turquoise strokes to show the movement of ocean waves.
A pair of turquoise ceramic bowls sat on the wooden kitchen shelf.
- blue-green
A more direct description without the gemstone association; less vivid than turquoise.
- teal
A darker, more muted blue-green; teal is less bright than turquoise.