carat

[ kar-uht ]

/ ˈkær ət /

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noun

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

karat.

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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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH carat

carat , caret, carrot, karat

Words nearby carat

caramelize, carangid, carangoid, carapa, carapace, carat, Caratacus, Caratinga, Caravaggio, caravan, caravanner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carat in a sentence

Clean Origin diamonds are also graded on the 4 Cs of cut, color, clarity, and carat.
A Commitment to Love: Clean Origin Diamonds|Sponsor|November 16, 2021|Washington Blade
Millions of carats in diamonds have been exported from Namibia since 1908.
As Germany Acknowledges Its Colonial-Era Genocide in Namibia, the Brutal Legacy of Diamond Mining Still Needs a Reckoning|Steven Press|June 10, 2021|Time
The magnificent $6000 ring glittered with a two-carat diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds, all set in silver.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This tea caddy is rather splendid Much of the pottery is gilded in 22 carat gold leaf.
New Royal China Alert|Tom Sykes|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The largest D color flawless diamond ever auctioned, the 101.73 carat jewel is expected to fetch at least $20 million.
'Absolute Perfection' Diamond Up for Auction|William O’Connor|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Thus 18 carat gold has one-fourth of alloy, and so on with lower qualities down to 12, which is in reality only gold by courtesy.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
The gold coin of the realm is 22 carat; that is, it contains one-twelfth of alloy to harden it to stand wear and tear.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
When first offered for sale, the price was fourpence a carat; now it is from fifteen to twenty shillings.
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art|Various
A little tin god has a pleasant time of it, no doubt, until the coming of the eighteen carat gold idol.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine|Joseph C. Lincoln
So he tied above their best reach three strands of “carat” cord to the main rope.
Bonaventure|George Washington Cable

British Dictionary definitions for carat

carat

/ (ˈkærət) /

noun

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

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

Word Origin for carat

C16: from Old French, from Medieval Latin carratus, from Arabic qīrāt weight of four grains, carat, from Greek keration a little horn, from keras horn

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