ultramarine

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

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