Malachite

//ˈmæl.əˌkaɪt// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A bright green mineral, a basic copper carbonate, Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂; one of the principal ores of copper. countable, uncountable

    "Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)"

  2. 2
    a green or blue mineral used as an ore of copper and for making ornamental objects wordnet
  3. 3
    A mild green color, like that of the mineral. countable, uncountable
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a color ranging from olive-taupe to a mild to deeply-rich (at times seemingly translucent) green, like that of the mineral which is present on oxidized copper.

Example

More examples

"Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)"

Etymology

From Middle French malachite, from Latin molochītis, from Ancient Greek μολόχη (molókhē, “[leaf of the ... ] mallow plant”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.