Meaning

noun a precious transparent stone of rich blue corundum valued as a gemstone

noun a transparent piece of sapphire that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem

noun a light shade of blue

originFrom 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”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0