[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/opal.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / opal

[← O](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/O/)

# opal

«opal» in Mova's school dictionary: **a precious stone that shows flashing rainbow colours when…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an opal, opals; opal as a material)

### meaning for a pupil

1) An opal is a precious stone that shows flashing rainbow colours when you move it in the light. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#m1)

2) Opal is the material itself, a kind of hardened silica that contains water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#m2)

3) Opal is also a milky, pale colour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons on rocks and minerals it is an example of a gemstone; Australia produces most of the world's opal, and Coober Pedy is a famous opal-mining town where people live underground. In stories an opal is a treasure. Phrases: «an opal ring», «black opal», «opal mine».

### examples

- Nan has an opal ring that sparkles blue and green. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x1)
- Most of the world's opals come from Australia. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x2)
- In Coober Pedy, miners dig for opal and some families live in underground houses. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x3)
- The black opal is Australia's national gemstone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x4)
- When I tilted the opal, colours flashed like a tiny rainbow. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x5)
- Opals contain water, so they can crack if they dry out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x6)
- The bathroom glass had a milky opal colour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x7)
- It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/#x8)

### note

Countable for a stone (an opal, opals), uncountable for the material (made of opal). Use «an» because it starts with a vowel sound. Opal is the birthstone of October in many lists.

### In the corpora

- [Mia's grandma and Miss Opal from church have known each other sixty years.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/482-mums-best-friend-and-dads-mate-from-work/23/)
- [«Back in my day,» says Miss Opal.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/482-mums-best-friend-and-dads-mate-from-work/24/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «opal» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/opal/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.