Opalised

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A gemstone known for its unique iridescent quality, showcasing a vibrant array of colors that change with the angle of light
2. A modified mineral that reflects and refracts light, producing a colorful interplay of hues due to its opalescent nature
3. A mineral renowned for its ability to reflect light and display a spectrum of colors that shift depending on the viewing angle

Etymology: "Opalised" is the past form of "opalise", meaning to change into opal. The verb is simply "opal" with the suffix "-ise" added, the ending that turns a noun into a verb meaning to make or become something. Opal itself reached English through a chain of borrowings: the Sanskrit "upala", meaning stone, passed into Greek and then Latin as "opalus", and from Latin it went into French as "opale" before arriving in English. The verbal suffix has a longer ancestry, descending from an ancient Greek verb ending "-izein" that Latin took up as "-izare", and that came into English through French. Because "opalise" is a plain formation, the ending does the work here. An opalised object is one whose original material has been slowly replaced or transformed into opal, as happens to fossils and wood buried in silica-rich groundwater.

Synonyms: opalescent, iridescent