diamond

[ dahy-muh nd, dahy-uh- ]

/ ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR diamond ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a pure or nearly pure, extremely hard form of carbon, naturally crystallized in the isometric system.

a piece of this stone.

a transparent, flawless or almost flawless piece of this stone, especially when cut and polished, valued as a precious gem.

a ring or other piece of jewelry containing such a precious stone, especially an engagement ring.

a piece of this stone used in a drill or cutting tool.

a tool provided with such an uncut stone, used for cutting glass.

crystallized carbon, or a piece of it, artificially produced.

an equilateral quadrilateral, especially as placed with its diagonals vertical and horizontal; a lozenge or rhombus.

any rhombus-shaped figure or object oriented with its diagonals vertical and horizontal.

a red rhombus-shaped figure on a playing card.

a card of the suit bearing such figures.

diamonds, (used with a singular or plural verb) the suit so marked: Diamonds is trump. Diamonds are trump.

Baseball.

the space enclosed by home plate and the three bases; infield.
the entire playing field.

Printing. a 4½-point type of a size between brilliant and pearl.

adjective

made of or set with a diamond or diamonds.

having the shape of a diamond: a dress with a diamond print.

indicating the 75th, or sometimes the 60th, event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

verb (used with object)

to adorn with or as if with diamonds.

Nearby words

diametrical, diametrically, diamide, diamine, diammonium phosphate, diamond, diamond anniversary, diamond bar, diamond bird, diamond drill, diamond dust

Idioms

diamond in the rough, a person of fine character but lacking refined manners or graces.

Origin of diamond

1275–1325; Middle English diamant < Old French < Vulgar Latin *diamant-, stem of *diamas, perhaps alteration of *adimas (> French aimant magnet, Old Provençal aziman diamond, magnet), for Latin adamas adamant, diamond

Related forms

dia·mond·like, adjective

Definition for diamond (2 of 2)

Diamond

[ dahy-muh nd, dahy-uh- ]

/ ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /

noun

Neil,born 1941, U.S. singer and songwriter.

Cape, a hill in Canada, in S Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for diamond

Diamond Street, for instance, was one of the original players in the zoot suit riots in 1942.
The Mexican Mafia Is the Daddy of All Street Gangs|Seth Ferranti|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Casa Bruja is a diamond in the rough, a refuge among all this bedlam.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But they are striving “to shine bright like a diamond” and be happy, and we love them for it.
‘Girlhood’: Coming of Age in France’s Projects|Molly Hannon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He took his diamond cutting practice to the United States in 1949 and settled in Houston with his wife, Ann.
The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio|Caitlin Dickson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her father, a diamond dealer, moved the family from Tel-Aviv to New York when Kalman was four.
The Singular Artist of New Yorkistan|Lizzie Crocker|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Diamond had not seen the lightning, for he had been intent on finding the face of North Wind.
At the Back of the North Wind|George MacDonald
By the Diamond, in the eye of Others, in society, money or art.
The Square of Sevens|E. Irenaeus Stevenson
It blew into Diamond's heart, and made him so happy that he was forced to sit down and cry.
At the Back of the North Wind|George MacDonald
Roll puff paste ¼ of an inch thick, cut in diamond shaped pieces, chill thoroughly, and bake about 15 minutes.
365 Luncheon Dishes|Anonymous
Our nautical experts (who had been at sea for three weeks anyhow) opined that it was "steering" for the Diamond Fields.
The Siege of Kimberley|T. Phelan

British Dictionary definitions for diamond

diamond

/ (ˈdaɪəmənd) /

noun

a colourless exceptionally hard mineral (but often tinted yellow, orange, blue, brown, or black by impurities), found in certain igneous rocks (esp the kimberlites of South Africa). It is used as a gemstone, as an abrasive, and on the working edges of cutting tools. Composition: carbon. Formula: C. Crystal structure: cubic
(as modifier)a diamond ring Related adjective: diamantine

geometry

a figure having four sides of equal length forming two acute angles and two obtuse angles; rhombus
(modifier) rhombic

a red lozenge-shaped symbol on a playing card
a card with one or more of these symbols or (when plural) the suit of cards so marked

baseball

the whole playing field
the square formed by the four bases

(formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 4 1/2 point

black diamond a figurative name for coal

rough diamond

an unpolished diamond
a person of fine character who lacks refinement and polish

verb

(tr) to decorate with or as with diamonds

Derived Forms

diamond-like, adjective

Word Origin for diamond

C13: from Old French diamant, from Medieval Latin diamas, modification of Latin adamas the hardest iron or steel, diamond; see adamant

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

Science definitions for diamond

diamond

[ dī′ə-mənd ]

A form of pure carbon that occurs naturally as a clear, cubic crystal and is the hardest of all known minerals. It often occurs as octahedrons with rounded edges and curved surfaces. Diamond forms under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure and is most commonly found in volcanic breccias and in alluvial deposits. Poorly formed diamonds are used in abrasives and in industrial cutting tools.