The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sapphire \Sap"phire\ (? or ?; 277), n. [OE. saphir, F. saphir, L. sapphirus, Gr. ?, of Oriental origin; cf. Heb. sapp[=i]r.]
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(Min.) Native alumina or aluminium sesquioxide, Al2O3; corundum; esp., the blue transparent variety of corundum, highly prized as a gem.
Of rubies, sapphires, and of pearl['e]s white.
--Chaucer.Note: Sapphire occurs in hexagonal crystals and also in granular and massive forms. The name sapphire is usually restricted to the blue crystals, while the bright red crystals are called Oriental rubies (see under Ruby), the amethystine variety Oriental amethyst (see under Amethyst), and the dull massive varieties corundum (a name which is also used as a general term to include all varieties). See Corundum.
The color of the gem; bright blue.
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(Zo["o]l.) Any humming bird of the genus Hylocharis, native of South America. The throat and breast are usually bright blue.
Star sapphire, or Asteriated sapphire (Min.), a kind of sapphire which exhibits asterism.
WordNet
n. a sapphire that when cut shows a star-like figure in reflected light because of its crystalline structure
Wikipedia
Star sapphire may refer to several things.
- Star sapphire, a type of sapphire gemstone that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism
- Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, a British automobile from 1958
- Star Sapphire (comics), the name of several DC Comics supervillains
- Star Sapphire, a fairy from the Touhou Project series of video games
Star Sapphire is the name of several fictional characters in DC Comics; many of them are villainous, and all connected in origin. Within DC continuity, an immortal race of warrior women (the Zamarons) were depicted as having the ancient tradition of choosing physically identical mortals from across the cosmos to serve as the host body for their queen. The woman chosen to serve this queen is called Star Sapphire. She is given the queen's symbolic weapon; a crystal resembling an actual star sapphire that grants the user powers similar to the power ring of Green Lanterns.
In the 2000s the term came to refer to the Star Sapphires, an organization whose members in part include women previously depicted as the singular Star Sapphire in DC titles. Not clearly defined as superheroes or supervillains, the Star Sapphires debuted as a corps in Green Lantern vol. 4 #20 (July 2007). They were created by writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver.
Usage examples of "star sapphire".
It seemed to draw to itself the light, sending it back with gleamings of the gray-blue of the star sapphire, with pellucid azures and lazulis like clouded jades, with glistening peacock iridescences and tender, milky greens of tropic shallows.
The next morning, when he came to finish his work, he found this star sapphire lying amid the embers of his forge fire.
The star sapphire cast a rosy light on her, accentuating skin the same deep shade as Ajihad’.
It might not be worth much as a junk grade star sapphire, but as the stone that suckered Piers Anthony um, let's rephrase that.
The twenty-carat cabochon star sapphire in his ring was a high-quality Burmese blue.
In his beard were carved runes made of lapis lazuli and jade, on his fingers were huge rings of star sapphire and ruby and lynx-eye.
Even now, our artisans are assembling the star sapphire in the center of Tronjheim.
It was an enormous star sapphire, well over a hundred carats, but of very poor quality.
There was a headdress like one I had seen in a Botticelli paintingfine bands of gold supporting a star sapphire with stylized flower petals all around it.