nacre
nacre · nacres
A pearly substance made mainly of stacked layers of aragonite and organic matter which…A pearly substance made mainly of stacked layers of aragonite and organic matter which lines the interior of many shells; mother-of-pearl.
UK/ˈneɪkə/US/ˈneɪkəɹ/
Meaning
2 senses(countable, uncountable)A pearly substance made mainly of stacked layers of aragonite and organic matter which lines the interior of many shells; mother-of-pearl.
(countable, obsolete, uncountable)A shellfish which contains mother-of-pearl.
More definitions
- the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell
Origin
Borrowed from Middle French nacre, from Medieval Latin nacchara, ultimately derived from ABorrowed from Middle French nacre, from Medieval Latin nacchara, ultimately derived from Arabic نَقَّارَة (naqqāra). Doublet of nagara, nagada, naqareh, and naker. Also present in nacarat.
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Forms
plural: nacresSynonyms
1 synonymsClose in meaning
- the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell:mother-of-pearl
Word family
6 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable