moonstone

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a translucent feldspar gemstone that displays a floating pearly or bluish sheen called adularescence

   The ring's moonstone flashed blue when it moved beneath the lamp.

2. 2
   noun

   historical: any pale, moonlike stone believed to reflect lunar light or influence

   The lapidary praised the moonstone's supposed connection with dreams and changing fortunes.

A compound of moon + stone, named for the gemstone's soft, mobile sheen, which was compared with moonlight. The modern gem is usually an orthoclase or related feldspar; older lapidaries applied lunar associations to several pale stones.

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