nacre

[ ney-ker ]

/ ˈneɪ kər /

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noun

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Origin of nacre

1590–1600; <Medieval Latin nacrum, nacer, variant of nacara<Old Italian naccara kind of drum, nacre <Arabic naqqārah drum

Words nearby nacre

nacelle, nacho, nachos, NACODS, Nacogdoches, nacre, nacred, nacreous, nacreous cloud, NACRO, nad

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nacre in a sentence

In this case, the formation of nacre layers of different thicknesses may appear random, but is actually dependent on the thickness of previous layers.
Researchers have unlocked the secret to pearls’ incredible symmetry|Rachel Crowell|November 10, 2021|Science News
A pearl’s symmetrical growth as it lays down layers of nacre relies on the mollusk balancing two basic capabilities, Otter and her colleagues discovered.
Researchers have unlocked the secret to pearls’ incredible symmetry|Rachel Crowell|November 10, 2021|Science News
The floor was made of mats woven from strips of shell-nacre, bound at the sides with an inch border of pink coral.
Japanese Fairy World|William Elliot Griffis
The specimens collected by Mr. Schoolcraft, vary much in the color of the nacre.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

He lifted a small hammer and struck a velvet-voiced bell that stood on the Arabian table of cedar inlaid with nacre and ivory.
The Decadent|Ralph Adams Cram
Purplish bivalves and enormous nacre-lined conch shells lay upon the tables.
The Dead Command|Vicente Blasco Ibez
In the lower part is a dark clay with Pholadomya margaritacea, still preserving the pearly nacre.
The Geological Story of the Isle of Wight|J. Cecil Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for nacre

nacre

/ (ˈneɪkə) /

noun

the technical name for mother-of-pearl

Derived forms of nacre

nacred, adjective

Word Origin for nacre

C16: via French from Old Italian naccara, from Arabic naqqārah shell, drum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012