semiprecious
pronunciation
How to pronounce semiprecious in British English:
UK [ˌsemɪ'preʃəs]
How to pronounce semiprecious in American English:
US [ˌsemɪ'preʃəs]
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- Adjective:
- used of gemstones having less commercial value than precious stones
Word Origin
- semiprecious (adj.)
- also semi-precious, 1818, from semi- + precious (adj.).
Example
- 1. A dealer in precious or semiprecious stones .
- 2. A decade ago , western and malian archaeologists began digging in the sandy soil and uncovered fine pottery , copper bracelets and bead necklaces strung with glass and semiprecious stones .
- 3. It has left many maasai destitute , with young men now converging in the towns to hustle tanzanite , a semiprecious local stone , or to seek poor-paying jobs as night guards .
- 4. Local industry relies on the precious and semiprecious stones found in the mines , some of which are more than 40 feet ( 12 meters ) deep .
- 5. Ancient hebraic instructions for building altars and using precious and semiprecious stones are identical to those used by native americans .