Meaning & use
mother-of-pearl
The hard, iridescent inner layer of certain shells, used decoratively in jewelry, buttons, and inlay work.
See it in a sentence
The music box was decorated with delicate inlays of mother-of-pearl.
Her earrings caught the light, showing flashes of mother-of-pearl in pale pink and blue.
A note on using this word
Mother-of-pearl and nacre refer to the same substance, though "nacre" is the more scientific term.
Words with a similar meaning
nacre
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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