cornelian
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is cornelian? Cornelian is an alternate spelling of what’s more commonly called carnelian, a reddish gemstone. It is a variety of chalcedony, a type of quartz. It varies from semi-opaque to translucent, and it can be various shades of red or amber. When it is variegated or banded (meaning the stone shows stripes of white), it is sometimes called agate. It is considered a semiprecious gemstone, which is a label applied to gemstones that have a lesser value than those deemed precious. However, it is not commonly seen in fine jewelry and can be quite inexpensive. It is typically formed into a shape known as a cabochon, which is polished but not cut into facets. These are often used as beads in necklaces and bracelets. It is one of the traditional birthstones for the month of August (though in the UK it is considered one of the birthstones for the month of July). The word can also refer to a color—a shade of dark reddish-brown, like that of the gemstone. Example: The ancient pendant was made from a striking piece of banded cornelian.
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.
Pink mother-of-pearl earrings, ocean-hued amazonite bracelets and flame-tinged cornelian rings are all in full bloom in this versatile collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
If the materials had been agate or cornelian, or the most infusible substances known on the earth, they would have been fused and driven into vapour by the intensity of the sun's rays.
From The Story of the Heavens by Ball, Robert S. (Robert Stawell), Sir
My elegant cornelian necklace he's taken the stones out of, till it nearly chokes me to put it on.'
From Arthur O'Leary His Wanderings And Ponderings In Many Lands by Lever, Charles James
We find, in the Arabian Nights, a cornelian, on which unknown characters were engraven; and, also, a sabre, like those here described.
From Shorter Novels, Eighteenth Century The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story; Vathek, an Arabian Tale by Beckford, William
He familiarly took his place by the side of the actor-manager, who gave him his middle finger on which shone a ring with a large cornelian.
From The Red Room by Strindberg, August
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.
