jadeite

jadeite — noun

1. a valuable mineral, often green, that is one of the two stones called jade and i

1.nounC2
Definition

a valuable mineral, often green, that is one of the two stones called jade and is used for jewellery and carvings

Example

The museum displayed a jadeite bowl from ancient Guatemala beside gold ornaments.

jadeite object from an archaeological setting

Aylin saved for months to buy a small jadeite pendant.

jadeite pendant in jewellery

Common collocations
  • jadeite bracelet
  • jadeite pendant
  • jadeite carving
  • pale green jadeite
  • real jadeite
Synonyms
  • jade

    broader everyday term that can mean either jadeite or nephrite

  • nephrite

    different mineral that also belongs to the broader category of jade

  • gemstone

    much broader term for valuable stones used in jewellery

Usage Note

Jadeite is the exact mineral name. In everyday English, people often say jade, but jewellers, collectors, and geologists use jadeite when they need to distinguish it from nephrite.

Common Mistakes

The necklace is jade, so it must be jadeite.
The necklace is jade, but it could be jadeite or nephrite.
'Jade' is the broad name, while 'jadeite' names only one specific mineral.
The statue is made from painted jadeite glass.
The statue is made from glass painted to look like jadeite.
Jadeite is a natural mineral, not a type of glass.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Jadeite, jade, nephrite, and gemstone overlap but are not interchangeable. Jadeite is a specific mineral and is the more exact word in geology, gem testing, and higher-end jewellery descriptions. Jade is the broad everyday name for the two minerals traditionally sold as jade: jadeite and nephrite. Nephrite is the other jade mineral, so it belongs under jade but is not the same material as jadeite. Gemstone is broader still and can refer to jadeite, ruby, sapphire, quartz, and many other stones. In practice, a shop may sell a jade bracelet, while a lab report or auction listing may identify it more exactly as jadeite.

jadeite ↗jade ↗nephrite ↗gemstone ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • piece of jadeite
  • jadeite jewellery
  • jadeite deposit

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

The word jadeite came into English from French jadéite, built from jade plus the mineral ending -ite. The name became useful when scientists began separating the stones sold as jade into different minerals. In modern use, jadeite names one of the two main jade minerals, while nephrite names the other.