ultramarine

Pronunciation: /ˌəltɹəməˈɹin/

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun blue pigment made of powdered lapis lazuli
  2. noun a vivid blue to purple-blue color
  3. adjective of a brilliant pure blue to purplish blue color

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ultrāmarīnus, from Latin ultrā (“beyond”) + marīnus (“of or relating to the sea, marine”). By surface analysis, ultra + marine. Noun sense 1 (“pigment”) refers to the fact that lapis lazuli was obtained from foreign countries and hence “beyond the sea”.

In classic literature

Synonyms

ultramarine blue

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
pigment
Narrower (hyponyms)
french blue

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