Tanzanite
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone. countable, uncountable
"For those to whom gems light the way, a brand new semi-precious stone will be seen for the first time. Called "Tanzanite," the stone was discovered recently in Tanzania. A blue, very much like sapphire, with a slight violet cast, it is exclusive with Tiffany."
Example
More examples"For those to whom gems light the way, a brand new semi-precious stone will be seen for the first time. Called "Tanzanite," the stone was discovered recently in Tanzania. A blue, very much like sapphire, with a slight violet cast, it is exclusive with Tiffany."
Etymology
From Tanzania + -ite (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks), coined by Henry B. Platt, a vice president of the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. when it first marketed the gem in 1968: see the October 3, 1968, quotation.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.