What does sapphire mean?
Word: Sapphire
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Sapphire means a precious stone that is usually a clear, bright blue. The word also names that deep blue colour.
Word origin: From Greek sappheiros, through Latin and Old French; where the Greek word itself came from is uncertain.
How do you spell sapphire?
Syllables: sap - phire
Tricky part: The f sound is spelt pph, two p's and then an h, so saphire and safire are both wrong.
Watch out for: saphire, safire, sapfire
Memory tip: Picture two silver pins and a hook holding a blue gem in its ring: the two pins stand for the p's, and the hook for the h that follows them.
Sapphire in a sentence
Example 1: Kashmir sapphires, mined high in the Himalayas, are among the most prized in the world.
Example 2: Mum wore her sapphire earrings to my cousin's wedding.
Example 3: The lake shone sapphire blue under the clear winter sky.
Fun Fact
Sapphires are not always blue: they can be yellow, pink, green or even colourless, and a rare pinkish-orange kind is called padparadscha, from a Sinhala word for the lotus flower.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
The Greek word sappheiros, the ancestor of sapphire, was probably used in ancient times for a different blue stone. Which one?
a) aquamarine
b) lapis lazuli
c) blue topaz
d) turquoise
Show answer
b) lapis lazuli. Ancient writers described their sappheiros as blue with golden specks, which fits lapis lazuli rather than the stone we call sapphire today.
Spell Probe
One word in the sentence is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
The jeweller held the sapphire up to the window, and its deep blue colour seemed to glow against the velvat cloth spread on the counter.
a) a long flat table where customers are served
b) a soft cloth with a thick, short pile on one side
c) a precious stone that is usually blue
d) a person who makes or sells jewellery
Show answer
b) a soft cloth with a thick, short pile on one side. Velvet ends in et, as helmet and carpet do; jeweller, with its double l, is the British spelling and is correct.
Word Tally
You get 3 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks will you score?
sapphire, emerald, rubie, topaz, amethist
a) 15
b) 9
c) 6
d) 12
Show answer
b) 9. Ruby ends in y and amethyst has a y as well, so only three gems score: 3 x 3 = 9 marks.
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
sapph___
a) eer
b) ier
c) ire
d) yre
Show answer
c) ire. The word finishes with ire, the same three letters that end fire and wire.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Sapphire is a gem form of which mineral?
a) feldspar
b) quartz
c) mica
d) corundum
Show answer
d) corundum
2. In which sentence is sapphire used for a colour, not a stone?
a) The museum shows a famous sapphire.
b) He bought a sapphire for his mother.
c) The sapphire in her ring is very old.
d) Her silk sari was a deep sapphire.
Show answer
d) Her silk sari was a deep sapphire.
