Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mother-of-pearl

/ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.11 in modern English

Syllables
moth-er-of--pearl
IPA
/ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/
23
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The hard pearly inner layer of certain mollusk shells; nacre.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A butterfly of the genus Salamis.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A butterfly of the species Patania ruralis.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Made from or looking like mother-of-pearl; iridescent or pearly.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Calque of Latin māter perlārum, with the first element perhaps connected in popular imagination with obsolete mother (“dregs”). Possibly referring to the fact that the nacre-lined shells are the belly (“mother”) in which pearls are produced.

Usage

Inflected Forms

mother-of-pearls (plural) mother of pearl (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

pearl

Synonyms

nacre

Questions

How do you pronounce mother-of-pearl?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/.
What does mother-of-pearl mean?
The hard pearly inner layer of certain mollusk shells; nacre.
Where does mother-of-pearl come from?
Calque of Latin māter perlārum, with the first element perhaps connected in popular imagination with obsolete mother (“dregs”). Possibly referring to the fact that the nacre-lined shells are the belly (“mother”) in which pearls are produced.

How to pronounce mother-of-pearl

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mother-of-pearl”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌmʌðəɹ əv ˈpɜː(ɹ)l/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mother-of-pearl”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mother-of-pearl” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.