Semiprecious
/ˌsɛmiˈprɛʃəs/noun
Of a gemstone that is not classified as one of the traditional precious stones.
Did you know?The word is a modern compound built from Latin roots, but the old divide between “precious” and “semi-precious” helped shape how people assigned value, status, and even mystical power to stones.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
pretium
“price, value, reward”
Late Latin
Latin
pretiosus
“of great price, valuable, costly”
Old French
Old French
precious
“valuable, esteemed, costly”
Middle English
English
precious
“valuable, dear, excellent”
19th Century
English
semiprecious
“partly precious; used of stones considered less valuable than the traditional precious gems”
Modern English
English
semiprecious
“of a gemstone that is not one of the traditional precious stones”
Explore more surprising origins