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azure

 
Dictionary: az·ure   (ăzh'ər) pronunciation
n.
    1. A light purplish-blue.
    2. Heraldry. The color blue.
  1. The blue sky.

[Middle English, from Old French azur, from Medieval Latin azura, from Arabic al-lāzaward, the azure : al-, the + lāzaward, azure (from Persian lājward, lapis lazuli).]


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One of three metachromatic basic dyes (azures A, B and C).

Word Tutor: azure
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Clear sky blue.

pronunciation Azure is the color of my beloved's eyes.

Wikipedia: Azure
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This article is about the heraldic tincture. For other meanings, see azure (disambiguation).
Azure tincture

In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation.

The term azure derives from the Persian لاژورد lazhward, which was the name of a place known for its deposits of the deep blue stone now called lapis lazuli (stone of lazhward). The word was adopted into Old French by the twelfth century, from which the word passed into use in the blazon of coats of arms.

As an heraldic colour, the word azure simply means "blue". It is one of many concepts with both a French and German word in English, the former being used by the French-speaking nobles following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and the latter being used by the commoners of Anglo-Saxon stock. So while French-speaking heralds described banners as azure, commoners simply called them blue. Because it comes from a French word that simply means "blue", a wide range of colour values is used in the depiction of azure in armory and flags.

In addition to the standard blue tincture called azure, there is a lighter blue sometimes found that is called bleu celeste or "sky blue". Neither azure nor bleu celeste is precisely defined as a particular shade of blue, but azure is consistently depicted in a much darker shade.

Azure is said to represent the following:[1]

See also

Search Wikisource for "Azure"
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Azure.

References

  1. ^ Elvin, Charles Norton (1889). A Dictionary of Heraldry. 

Translations: Azure
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - azurblå, himmelblå
n. - azurblå, himmelblå

Nederlands (Dutch)
onbewolkte hemel, vredig, (hemels)blauw, azuur, azuren

Français (French)
adj. - d'azur, azuré, bleu ciel
n. - azur

Deutsch (German)
adj. - azurn, azurblau, himmelblau
n. - Azur

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γαλάζιο χρώμα του ουρανού, (μτφ.) καθαρός ουρανός
adj. - γαλάζιος, κυανούς

Italiano (Italian)
azzurro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - céu (m) azul, cor (m) azul celeste
adj. - azul-celeste

Русский (Russian)
лазурный, небесно-голубой

Español (Spanish)
adj. - azulado, cérulo
n. - azul celeste, azur

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - azurblå, himmelsblå
adj. - himmelsblått

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
蔚蓝的, 天蓝色的, 天蓝色, 碧空

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 蔚藍的, 天藍色的
n. - 天藍色, 碧空

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 하늘색의
n. - 창공, 하늘색

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 空色
adj. - 空色の, 青い

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اللازوردي : اللون الأزرق السماوي (صفه) السما الصافيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮תכול, שלו (ספרותית)‬
n. - ‮תכלת‬


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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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