cairngorm

American

[kairn-gawrm] / ˈkɛərnˌgɔrm /

noun

smoky quartz.

cairngorm British

/ ˌkernˈɡɒrm, ˈkɛənˌɡɔːm /

noun

Also called: smoky quartz. a smoky yellow, grey, or brown variety of quartz, used as a gemstone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cairngorm

1785–95; short for Cairngorm stone, i.e., stone from Cairngorm Mountains

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cairngorm eyes of the elder damsel were opened to their full width with the far-seeing blindness of a somnambulist.

From Project Gutenberg

Doreen darted forth such a golden flash from her cairngorm eyes as flooded the heart of the tempest-tossed young man with a gleam of sunshine.

From Project Gutenberg

Ornaments were worn wherever there was a place for them, but the only jewels were cairngorms, and they were always set in silver.

From Project Gutenberg

Serpentine abounds in several places, especially at Portsoy, where it is known as 'Portsoy marble', and Scotch topazes or cairngorm stones are found on the mountains in the south.

From Project Gutenberg

The dirk as worn in full Highland costume is an elaborately ornamented weapon, with cairngorms or other stones set in the head of the handle, which has no guard.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023