A transparent to translucent glassy mineral, essentially aluminum beryllium silicate, Be3Al2Si6O18, occurring in hexagonal prisms and constituting the chief source of beryllium. Transparent varieties in white, green, blue, yellow, or pink are valued as gems.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French, from Latin bryllus, from Greek brullos, from brullion, from Prakrit veruliya, from Pali veuriya; akin to perhaps akin to Tamil veiruor viar, to whiten, become pale.
b
r
l
ryllus, from Greek b
uriya; akin to perhaps akin to Tamil ve
n, -l
n
) —ADJECTIVE
