ultramarine

1 of 2

noun

ul·​tra·​ma·​rine ˌəl-trə-mə-ˈrēn How to pronounce ultramarine (audio)
1
: a vivid blue
2
a(1)
: a blue pigment prepared by powdering lapis lazuli
(2)
: a similar pigment prepared from kaolin, soda ash, sulfur, and charcoal
b
: any of several related pigments

ultramarine

2 of 2

adjective

: situated beyond the sea

Examples of ultramarine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Researchers found that when winter drenches the atmosphere in a deep, pervasive blue, reindeer tapetum also darkens into a rich, reflective ultramarine. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023 And some, like the woman in Germany, were skilled enough to be trusted to work with a rare and expensive material like ultramarine. Megan Schmidt, Discover Magazine, 10 Jan. 2019 The blue is artificial ultramarine combined with titanium white. Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2022 Before Prussian blue was discovered, painters had to use indigo dye, smalt, or the pricey ultramarine made from lapis lazuli for deep-blue hues. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2022 To the west, tiered silhouettes of blue mountains receded in visibility from ultramarine to smoke-gray. Kent Russell, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022 Golden Artist Colors, a paint company in New York, noted the dearth of titanium white could limit the production of mixed blue paints, such as light phthalo blue and light ultramarine. Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2021 The Dutch artist applied ultramarine to mundane scenes of ordinary people with the skill of a master and the self-restraint of a child. Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2021 Painter Yves Klein registered a trademark for a shade of ultramarine called International Klein Blue in 1957, and jewelry brand Tiffany & Co.'s signature blue is also protected. CNN, 19 Aug. 2021
Adjective
As previously reported, past analyses of Rembrandt's paintings identified many pigments the Dutch master used in his work, including lead white, multiple ochres, bone black, vermilion, madder lake, azurite, ultramarine, yellow lake, and lead-tin yellow, among others. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 15 Dec. 2023 To the west, tiered silhouettes of blue mountains receded in visibility from ultramarine to smoke-gray. Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 11 May 2022 Using less pigment would have been desirable centuries ago, when certain pigments — such as lapis lazuli, which was used to make ultramarine blue — were more expensive than gold, according to Ranquet. Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 28 Mar. 2023 Klein, the Nice-native, Nouveau Realismé artist, was born in 1928, producing his signature ultramarine blue 29 years later. Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2022 That didn’t stop Barbados from lowering its largest flag – an ultramarine, yellow, and black banner that flies at Garrison Savannah – to half mast over the weekend to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep. 2022 This is what happened, for example, with the ultramarine degradation in Jan van Eyck's Three Marys at the Tomb. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 June 2022 Seeking a durable blue paint 300 years earlier, Vermeer would have been limited to natural ultramarine blue. Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2021 Two years later, after the artist’s death, his widow shepherded a coffee table filled with the same ultramarine pigment to market, based on the late artist’s prototype. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 23 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ultramarine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin ultramarinus coming from beyond the sea, from Latin ultra- + mare sea — more at marine

First Known Use

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Adjective

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ultramarine was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near ultramarine

Cite this Entry

“Ultramarine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ultramarine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ultramarine

noun
ul·​tra·​ma·​rine
ˌəl-trə-mə-ˈrēn
: a vivid blue

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