Tourmaline

Origin

Either directly from Sinhalese tóramalli 'carnelian', or via a cognate: German Turmalin, Portuguese tormalina, or French tourmaline

Full definition of tourmaline

Noun

1. A complex black or dark coloured borosilicate mineral.
• 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, Gemstones, Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are … . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
2. A transparent gemstone cut from it.

Derived terms

Related terms