pearly

Etymology

pearl + -y

noun

1. (uncountable, uncommon, dated) A pale greyish white colour, tinted with blue.
   pearly:
   In nature we as often find the light cool as warm; also in the pictures of many of the Flemish and Dutch schools, where, as Sir Joshua himself mentions, " the silver gray or pearly is predominant, and are valued by the connoisseurs in proportion as they possess this excellence of a silver tint." 1830, John Burnet, A practical treatise on painting, page 3
   Pearly is that silky and often coloured lustre which renders of such value 1884, The popular educator, page 49
   When (the scales are) more developed and thickened, the color (pearly) is deepened, shading 1899, St. Louis medical and surgical journal, page 126
2. (countable, Britain, slang, especially in plural) A tooth.

adj

1. Of a pale greyish white colour, tinted with blue.
2. Resembling or characteristic of a pearl; nacreous.
   a pearly lustre
3. Containing or yielding pearls.
4. Having a pure sweet tone.