Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The sheen itself is all-important; as the layers of nacre become a metaphor for superficial judgement of beauty when in fact, pearls tell a much deeper story, shaped by life during the growing process, just like human skin.—Kate Matthams, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025 And some jewelers like ammolite, a rare rainbow-hue nacre that formed during the fossilization of some ammonite shells in what is now the Canadian province of Alberta.—Chantel Tattoli, New York Times, 20 May 2025 The fossil shells still preserve their nacre layer, giving them an iridescence appearance.—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 They are cultivated over 18 months and are selected by hand for optimal nacre thickness and exceptional luster.—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 28 Jan. 2025 Charlie Corcoran’s set, which is mostly a stretch of sky above a low grass hill, shimmers like nacre; Michael Gottlieb’s lighting design, particularly in the play’s final, stunning moment with Hugh, is finely shaded, before plunging into a spotlit darkness reminiscent of Caravaggio.—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023 The resulting build up, called nacre, eventually forms the pearl.—The Indianapolis Star, 5 Sep. 2023 In the process of studying nacre, some scientists couldn’t help notice the mussel’s hinge.—Rahul Rao, Popular Science, 22 June 2023 When a foreign substance such as a speck of sand enters the oyster and gets lodged between the mantle and the oyster shell, the oyster reacts to this intrusion and protects itself by producing a substance known as nacre to envelop the irritant, one layer at a time.—Thomas Lim, Forbes, 21 June 2022
Word History
Etymology
French, from Middle French, from Old Italian naccara drum, nacre, from Arabic naqqāra drum
Share