chatoyant
Americanadjective
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changing in luster or color.
chatoyant silk.
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Jewelry. reflecting a single streak of light when cut in a cabochon.
noun
adjective
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having changeable lustre; twinkling
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(of a gem, esp a cabochon) displaying a band of light reflected off inclusions of other minerals
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of chatoyant
First recorded in 1790–1800; from French, present participle of chatoyer “to change luster like a cat's eye,” derivative of chat “cat”; cf. cat ( def. )
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.
The chatoyant eyes of the leopard stared back, a flicker of restlessness in their brilliant yellow deeps.
From The Adventures of Kathlyn by MacGrath, Harold
She invariably wore gloves out of doors and a veil to conceal the chatoyant eyes.
From The Green Eyes of Bâst by Rohmer, Sax
He shook himself free and stood straight, his jaws hard and his eyes, absorbing what light there was from the stars, chatoyant.
From A Splendid Hazard by MacGrath, Harold
Shot, shot, adj. having a changeable colour, chatoyant, as silk, alpaca, &c.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
But one of the prettiest though commonest gems in the island is the "Moon-stone," a variety of pearly adularia presenting chatoyant rays when simply polished.
From Ceylon; an Account of the Island Physical, Historical, and Topographical with Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and Productions, Volume 1 by Tennent, James Emerson, Sir
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.
