aquamarine

noun

aqua·​ma·​rine ˌä-kwə-mə-ˈrēn 

ˌa-

1

: a transparent blue, blue-green, or green variety of beryl used as a gem

2

: a pale blue to light greenish blue

Did you know?

Aquamarine Has Latin Roots

Aqua marina * is Latin for "seawater", so when a lovely blue-green form of the semiprecious gem known as beryl was given an English name several centuries ago, *aquamarine seemed appropriate. Aquamarine is the ideal color that most of us carry around in our heads when we imagine the waters that lap the shores of the Greek and Caribbean islands on a sunny day. But even the Mediterranean and the Caribbean can take on lots of other colors depending on weather conditions.

Examples of aquamarine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An example of maximalism at its best, the color palette is a mix of blues (from midnight to cobalt to aquamarine) with punches of orange. —Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026

The shoes accented her collared and belted knee-length dress which was a lustrous aquamarine shade. —Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 20 May 2026

Named Intertwining Love, the earrings are crafted from rosewood, sapphires, rubies, aquamarines, pink tourmalines and yellow diamonds and titanium. —Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

Spanning 11 themes, the 110 pieces in the collection also include Colombian emeralds, cat’s-eye blue topaz, natural zircon, and Santa Maria–type aquamarines to bring color to both geometric and fluid shapes. —Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 17 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin aqua marina, from Latin, sea water

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aquamarine

• acetylene
• adamantine
• adenosine
• amphetamine
• anthropocene
• apoprotein
• arsphenamine
• azobenzene
• buprenorphine
• catecholamine
• chlorobenzene
• chlorpromazine

Kids Definition

aquamarine

noun

aqua·​ma·​rine ˌak-wə-mə-ˈrēn 

ˌäk-

1

: a transparent beryl that is blue, blue-green, or green

2

: a pale blue to light greenish blue