turquoise

noun

tur·​quoise ˈtər-ˌkȯiz  -ˌkwȯiz 

variants or less commonly turquois

1

: a mineral that is a blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum, takes a high polish, and is valued as a gem when sky blue

2

: a light greenish blue

Examples of turquoise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Also of note, conditions on the turquoise-teal warm waters of the Andaman Sea range from mirror-flat—making swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding possible—to a little more rough and ready. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026

As a result, the name is unofficially attributed to any other shoe that surfaces with its own mix of turquoise and pink, and a new colorway of the Nike Air Max 95 is no exception. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 4 May 2026

Simone Ashley rocks a one-shoulder turquoise moment for her appearance on the Despierta America morning show to promote The Devil Wears Prada 2 in Doral, Florida, on April 30. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026

Most houses in the area were built by Palmer & Krisel, the architecture firm responsible for Palm Springs—from the car, see butterfly roofs; see lime-green desert modern; see hot pink, turquoise. —Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English turkeys, from Anglo-French turkeise, from feminine of turkeis Turkish, from Turc Turk

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing turquoise

• turquoise blue
• turquoise green

Kids Definition

turquoise

noun

tur·​quoise ˈtər-ˌk(w)ȯiz 

1

: a blue, bluish green, or greenish gray mineral that contains copper and aluminum, takes a high polish, and is used in jewelry

2

: a light greenish blue

Etymology

Middle English turkeys "turquoise," from early French turkeise (same meaning), derived from turkeis, literally "Turkish (stone)"; so called because it was first brought to Europe from a part of Turkey