birthstone

birth·stone

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [burth-stohn]
- /ˈbɜrθˌstoʊn/
- /bˈɜːθstəʊn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [burth-stohn]
- /ˈbɜrθˌstoʊn/

Definitions of birthstone word

noun birthstone a precious or semiprecious stone associated with a month or sign of the zodiac and thought to bring luck if worn by a person born in that month or under that sign 3
noun birthstone a precious or semiprecious gem symbolizing the month of a person's birth: the usual list (with modern variants), beginning with that of January, is as follows: garnet, amethyst, bloodstone (aquamarine), diamond, emerald, pearl (alexandrite), ruby, sardonyx (peridot), sapphire, opal (tourmaline), topaz (citrine), and turquoise (zircon) 3
noun birthstone a precious or semiprecious stone traditionally associated with a particular month or sign of the zodiac and believed to attract good fortune. 1
noun birthstone gem relating to month of one's birth 1
noun birthstone Any of twelve gemstones traditionally associated with the month of one's birth. 0
noun birthstone Any of a similar list of less costly substitutes. 0

See all 6 definitions of birthstone

Information block about the term

Origin of birthstone

First appearance:

before 1905

One of the 15% newest English words

First recorded in 1905-10; birth + stone

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Birthstone

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Birthstone

birthstone popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 54% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

birthstone usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for birthstone

noun birthstone

stone — the hard substance, formed of mineral matter, of which rocks consist.
ornament — an accessory, article, or detail used to beautify the appearance of something to which it is added or of which it is a part: architectural ornaments.
trinket — a small ornament, piece of jewelry, etc., usually of little value.
bead — Beads are small pieces of coloured glass, wood, or plastic with a hole through the middle. Beads are often put together on a piece of string or wire to make jewellery.
bauble — A bauble is a small, cheap ornament or piece of jewellery.

All 15 Synonyms of birthstone