Also 4 lugre, ligurie, -y, 7 lygure. Also in Lat. form ligurius, 6 erron. ligurios. [ad. L. ligūrius (Vulgate), ad. Gr. λιγύριον (Exod. xxviii. LXX), app. a variant of a word which appears in many different forms, as λαγούριον, λαγγούριον, λυγγούριον, λυγκούριον; the last of these (adopted in late L. as lyncūrius) is connected with the mediæval notion that the stone was a concretion of the urine of the lynx (Gr. λυγκ-, λύγξ lynx, οὖρον urine). The word may conceivably have some connection with the source of AZURE, LAZULI.] Some precious stone.
c. 1305. Land Cokayne, 91. Smaragde lugre and prassiune.
1382. Wyclif, Exod. xxxix. 13. He putte in it foure ordres of gemmes … in the thridde [was] ligury [1388 ligurie], achatese, amatist.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. lix. (1495), 572. Ligurius is a stone lyke to Electrum in colour.
1535. Coverdale, Exod. xxviii. 19. A Ligurios, an Achatt and an Ametyst. [1611 a Lygure, an Agate, and an Amethist.]
1567. Maplet, Gr. Forest, 13 b. Ligurius, is a stone in colour lyke to Tin.
1737. Whiston, Josephus, Antiq., III. vii. § 5 I. 80.
1750. trans. Leonardus’ Mirr. Stones, 118. Ligurius, as some fancy, is like the Electorius, and draws Straws.
1855. E. Smedley, Occult Sci., 357. Ligure. Said to attract straws like amber.
