Emily Dickinson Lexicon

NEPH'RITE, n. [Gr. νεφριτης, from νεφρος, the kidneys.]

A mineral, a subspecies of jade, of a leek green color, massive and in rolled pieces. It occurs in granite and gneiss, and is remarkable for its hardness and tenacity. It was formerly worn as a remedy for diseases of the kidneys, but is now cut into handles of sabers and daggers. Cleaveland. Ure. Cyc.