lazuli

This word carries a long history of color, trade, and art. In actual use, it is most commonly part of the phrase lapis lazuli, the well-known deep-blue stone valued for thousands of years. The stone contains lazurite and often shows white calcite and tiny gold-colored flecks of pyrite, which give it its striking look.

Ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, prized it for jewelry, ornaments, seals, and sacred objects. Much of the most valued material came from mines in what is now Afghanistan, and that source remained important for centuries.

It also became famous in painting. When the stone was ground and processed, it produced ultramarine, a rare and costly blue pigment used in some of the most important works of medieval and Renaissance art.

Although the word can sometimes suggest the color itself, it is mainly tied to the stone and to the full name lapis lazuli. Because of that, it is not usually used alone in everyday English. When it does appear, it often brings with it a sense of old craftsmanship, distant trade routes, and the unforgettable depth of a strong blue stone.