Azure

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæʒə/

Definitions

1. A vivid blue hue reminiscent of a clear sky or calm ocean, or in heraldic art, the blue tincture used in coats of arms
2. The bright blue pigment or shade evoked by cloudless skies and tranquil waters, serving also as the heraldic blue color in traditional armorial designs
3. A bright blue shade that resembles the color of a clear daytime sky ; the blue color used in heraldry to signify loyalty and truth

Etymology: The most striking part of this word's story is a slip of the ear. The Persian name for the stone lapis lazuli was "lājward," which passed into Arabic as "lāzaward." When the word reached Old French as "azur," speakers appeared to treat the initial "l" as the French article "l'," so it was simply dropped, and the word that remained was "azur." English took it from there as "asure" in Middle English. The name goes back to Persian "lājward," which referred to the region of Lajward in Badakhshan, the mountainous area in what is now northeastern Afghanistan that was a major source of the deep blue stone. The colour was named after the mineral, so a word for a rock became a word for a shade of the sky. Italian "azzurro" and Spanish "azul" follow the same path, with the same loss of the initial sound.

Synonyms: blue, sky-blue

Antonyms: gray, brown