carnelian

[kahr-neel-yuh n]

noun

a red or reddish variety of chalcedony, used in jewelry.

Origin of carnelian

1685–95; variant (with a of carnation) of cornelian, Middle English cornel(ine) (< Middle French, probably equivalent to Old French cornele cornel cherry + -ine -ine¹) + -ian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for carnelian

Historical Examples of carnelian

Round the bones of the arm were carnelian beads of short barrel shape.
El Kab
J.E. Quibell
Carnelian is a red variety of chalcedony, sard a brown variety.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 2 [February 1902]
Various
It is of alabaster, inlaid with agate, carnelian, and jasper.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter
Percy Addleshaw
Our favorite resorts, and it is so with all tourists, were Emerald and Carnelian Bays.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 2
Various
No sandstones of the East glow with such a splendor of carnelian hue.
My Native Land
James Cox

British Dictionary definitions for carnelian

carnelian

noun

a red or reddish-yellow translucent variety of chalcedony, used as a gemstone

Word Origin for carnelian

C17: variant of cornelian, from Old French corneline, of uncertain origin; car- spelling influenced by Latin carneus flesh-coloured

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

Word Origin and History for carnelian

"red variety of chalcedony," variant of cornelian, altered by influence of Latin carnem "flesh" because of its color.