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jade

1 American  
[jeyd] / dʒeɪd /

noun

  1. either of two minerals, jadeite or nephrite, sometimes green, highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for carvings, jewelry, etc.

  2. an object, as a carving, made from this material.

  3. Also called jade green.  green, varying from bluish green to yellowish green.

jade 2 American  
[jeyd] / dʒeɪd /

noun

  1. a worn-out, broken-down, worthless, or vicious horse.

  2. a disreputable or ill-tempered woman.

verb (used with or without object)

jaded, jading

  1. to make or become dull, worn-out, or weary, as from overwork or overuse.

jade 1 British  
/ dʒeɪd /

noun

    1. a semiprecious stone consisting of either jadeite or nephrite. It varies in colour from white to green and is used for making ornaments and jewellery

    2. ( as modifier )

      jade ornaments

    1. the green colour of jade

    2. ( as modifier )

      a jade skirt
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
jade 2 British  
/ dʒeɪd /

noun

  1. an old overworked horse; nag; hack

  2. derogatory a woman considered to be ill-tempered or disreputable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to exhaust or make exhausted from work or use

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
jade Scientific  
/ jād /

  1. A hard gemstone that is pale green or white and consists either of the mineral jadeite (a pyroxene) or the mineral nephrite (an amphibole). It usually forms within metamorphic rocks.

Other Word Forms

  • jadelike adjective
  • jadish adjective
  • jadishly adverb
  • jadishness noun

Etymology

Origin of jade1

1585–95; < French < Italian giada < obsolete Spanish ( piedra de ) ijada (stone of ) colic < Vulgar Latin *iliata, equivalent to Latin īli ( a ) flanks ( ilium ) + -ata -ate 1; so called because supposed to cure nephritic colic

Origin of jade2

1350–1400; Middle English; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because this is a low-key charity gig, the staging and lighting are minimal; but the star makes the room shrink, shimmying around in a jade green ballgown with irrepressible energy.

From BBC

Maybe I’m just very jaded, but as I look around the world — everyone after #MeToo was like, “Oh, did we cancel all the men?”

From Los Angeles Times

Lex: He’s so positive and optimistic, and I miss that because I can be jaded working in this industry where you don’t always get credit for your work.

From Los Angeles Times

“And this is genuine jade from China, boys. Isn’t that a Wonder?”

From Literature

Zhao, a woman sporting an intricately carved gold medallion on a necklace of jade beads and shimmering bangles on her wrist, brought her late grandfather's ring to the recycling machine.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.