# sapphire

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsæf.aɪ̯ə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #16,340

## Definitions
1. A clear deep blue variety of corundum, valued as a precious stone.
2. A white, yellow, or purple variety of corundum, either clear or translucent.
3. A deep blue colour.
4. Azure, when blazoning by precious stones.
5. Any hummingbird in the genera Hylocharis and Chlorestes, as well as the rufous-throated sapphire, which is now in the genus Amazilia.
6. Any of the butterflies in the southern Asian lycaenid genus Heliophorus or the African lycaenid genus Iolaus.

## Etymology
From Middle English saphir, from Old French saphir, from Latin sapphir, sappir, sapphīrus, from Ancient Greek σάπφειρος (sáppheiros, “precious stone, gem”), from a Semitic language such as Hebrew סַפִּיר (sappī́r, “lapis lazuli”), originally from Assyrian Akkadian šipirtu (“lapis lazuli”).

## Common misspellings (10)
`aspphire`, `saphire`, `saphpire`, `sapphhire`, `sapphier`, `sapphirre`, `sapphrie`, `sappihre`, `spaphire`, `ssapphire`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sapphire