carat
Americannoun
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a unit of weight in gemstones, 200 milligrams (about 3 grains of troy or avoirdupois weight). c., ct.
noun
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a measure of the weight of precious stones, esp diamonds. It was formerly defined as 3.17 grains, but the international carat is now standardized as 0.20 grams
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Usual US spelling: karat. a measure of the proportion of gold in an alloy, expressed as the number of parts of gold in 24 parts of the alloy
Etymology
Origin of carat
1545–55; < Medieval Latin carratus (used by alchemists) < Arabic qīrāṭ weight of 4 grains < Greek kerátion carob bean, weight of 3.333 grains, literally, little horn, equivalent to kerat- (stem of kéras ) horn + -ion diminutive suffix
Explanation
Precious jewels are measured in carats instead of ounces or grams. If your sister gets a three-carat diamond ring, she's getting a ring that weighs 600mg, which is big enough to be called "a rock." A variant of carat is karat. The former is usually used with diamonds and is a measure of weight, whereas the latter is usually used for gold and is a measure of purity. One karat is 1/24th of the mass, so 24-karat gold is pure. An 18-karat gold ring is 18/24 (or 3/4) gold and 6/24 (or 1/4) other metals.
Vocabulary lists containing carat
In A Sedimental Mood: Rock and Gem Vocabulary
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The White Album
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Little Richard (1932–2020): Tribute List
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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.
Post Malone was in the city performing at the Hydro as part of his Twelve Carat tour.
From BBC • May 16, 2023
And the singer/rapper had ample reasons to be feeling good cruising through his Twelve Carat tour.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 6, 2022
The tour is in support of his latest album, “Twelve Carat Toothache.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2022
Post Malone’s new “Twelve Carat Toothache” drops two spots to No. 4 in its second week out, and Future’s “I Never Liked You” is No. 5.
From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2022
How very wise, you should say, Oliver," said Dr. B. "I must inquire into this business; I must find out who ordered these things from Mr. Aaron Carat.
From Tales and Novels — Volume 01 by Edgeworth, Maria
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
