mother-of-pearl

/ˌmʌðər əv ˈpɜːl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmʌðər əv ˈpɜːrl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌmə-t͟hə-rə(v)-ˈpər(-ə)l/ (ame, mw)

mother-of-pearl — noun

1. the hard, glossy inner shell lining of some sea animals, with a rainbow-like shi

1.名詞C1
釋義

the hard, glossy inner shell lining of some sea animals, with a rainbow-like shine, used in buttons, jewellery, and decorative objects.

例句

Bao bought a mother-of-pearl hair clip at the night market.

mother-of-pearl + object noun

The guitar's mother-of-pearl inlay shone under the stage lights.

collocation: mother-of-pearl inlay

同義詞
  • nacre

    technical or scientific term for the same shell lining

文法句型

mother-of-pearl + noun

made of mother-of-pearl

decorated with mother-of-pearl

用法筆記

Often appears before another noun, especially for buttons, inlay, handles, or jewellery. When naming the material itself, it commonly follows patterns such as made of or decorated with.

常見錯誤

❌The blouse has pearl buttons.
✅The blouse has mother-of-pearl buttons.
💡a pearl is the round gem; mother-of-pearl is the shiny shell layer used for buttons.