aquamarine
Meaning
a pale greenish-blue color, like that of clear sea water.
a transparent, blue-green variety of beryl used as a gemstone.
Structure
Usage
she painted her bedroom walls a soft aquamarine.
the aquamarine in her necklace sparkled in the sunlight.
the shallow tropical lagoon was a stunning shade of aquamarine.
Etymology
the word aquamarine is a direct compound of two latin roots, 'aqua' (water) and 'marinus' (of the sea). it entered english in the late 16th century via the latin 'aqua marina', literally meaning 'sea water'. the term was first applied to the gemstone for its characteristic seawater-like color, and later, by the 19th century, the color name itself was derived from the stone. this etymological path perfectly illustrates how the literal, descriptive meaning of the components evolved into a specific term for a gem and a color in modern english.
Analysis
aqua is a latin root meaning 'water'. marine is from the latin root 'marinus', meaning 'of the sea'.