Beryl \Ber"yl\ (b[e^]r"[i^]l), n. [F. b['e]ryl, OF. beril, L.
beryllus, Gr. bh`ryllos, prob. fr. Skr. vai[dsdot][=u]rya.
Cf. Brilliant.] (Min.)
A mineral of great hardness, and, when transparent, of much
beauty. It occurs in hexagonal prisms, commonly of a green or
bluish green color, but also yellow, pink, and white. It is a
silicate of aluminum and beryllium. The aquamarine is a
transparent, sea-green variety used as a gem. The emerald
is another variety highly prized in jewelry, and
distinguished by its deep color, which is probably due to the
presence of a little oxide of chromium.
[1913 Webster]
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Beryl
the rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word
_tarshish_, a precious stone; probably so called as being
brought from Tarshish. It was one of the stones on the
breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:20; R.V. marg.,
"chalcedony;" 39:13). The colour of the wheels in Ezekiel's
vision was as the colour of a beryl stone (1:16; 10:9; R.V.,
"stone of Tarshish"). It is mentioned in Cant. 5:14; Dan. 10:6;
Rev. 21:20. In Ezek. 28:13 the LXX. render the word by
"chrysolite," which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its
proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the
Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-coloured gem,
the topaz of ancient authors.
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