Mexican onyx
- noun
- /ˈmɛksɪkən ˈoʊnɪks/
:
onyx mexicano
- This sculpture was carved from a single block of Mexican onyx.
Examples
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The fireplace was beautifully decorated with Mexican onyx panels.
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She collects vases made of Mexican onyx because of their colorful patterns.
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The artisan carved a beautiful piece of Mexican onyx.
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Many decorative items are made from Mexican onyx.
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She collects vases made of Mexican onyx because of their colorful patterns.
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The fireplace was beautifully decorated with Mexican onyx panels.
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This sculpture was carved from a single block of Mexican onyx.
Synonyms
4
8.1
A smooth white rock used for carving statues and decorations
A hard stone used for decoration with smooth bands and a little see-through, shiny look
A hard stone used for carving and decoration that looks slightly see-through
How Hard
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjectival composition: 'Mexican' specifies origin and 'onyx' names the mineral, so the phrase denotes onyx sourced from Mexico. The meaning is directly predictable from the constituents and follows a common noun-modifier pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words will understand.
Etymology
Mexican onyx may come from a simple image: sellers used the word onyx for a striped, colorful rock found in Mexico, so they called it Mexican onyx. That's why Mexican onyx today refers to a pretty, striped 'decorative stone' from Mexico.