carat

American  

[kar-uht] / ˈkær ət /

noun

1. a unit of weight in gemstones, 200 milligrams (about 3 grains of troy or avoirdupois weight). c., ct.

2. karat.

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carat British  

/ ˈkærət /

noun

1. 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

2. 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

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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

Example Sentences

It held 12 million carats at the end of December, far above the 6.5 million government ceiling, the finance ministry said in its 2026/27 Budget Strategy Paper published Tuesday.

From Barron's

His body was recovered from the Atlantic days after the disaster and among his possessions was an 18 carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch.

From BBC

His body was recovered from the Atlantic days after the disaster and among his possessions was an 18 carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch that will go under the hammer on 22 November.

From BBC

The internet hummed with commentary, memes, and close analysis of carat weight.

From Salon

The diamond looked to be an 8-10 carat vintage stone, which Ms Faulker said is "quite rare" for an antique piece.

From BBC