carat
[ kar-uht ]
/ ˈkær ət /
noun
a unit of weight in gemstones, 200 milligrams (about 3 grains of troy or avoirdupois weight). Abbreviation: c., ct.
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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 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. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for carat
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
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