Dictionary.com

diamond

[ dahy-muhnd, dahy-uh- ]
/ ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /
Save This Word!

noun
adjective
verb (used with object)
to adorn with or as if with diamonds.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about diamond

    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 adamasadamant, diamond

OTHER WORDS FROM diamond

dia·mond·like, adjective

Other definitions for diamond (2 of 2)

Diamond
[ dahy-muhnd, 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. 2023

MORE ABOUT DIAMOND

What does diamond mean?

A diamond is a clear gemstone known for its use in jewelry and its high price.

The word diamond can also refer to the material, which is one of the hardest known substances. It has many practical and industrial applications, including for grinding and polishing—many drill bits have diamond tips, for example.

Diamonds are perhaps the most popular gemstone used in jewelry. They are classified as precious gems, meaning that they have a high commercial value. They are often rated based on four main qualities: cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Many cut diamonds are crystal clear, but sometimes they come in other transparent colors, including pink, yellow, and blue (like the famous Hope diamond). Some diamonds are synthetic—they’re manufactured in laboratories.

The diamond is the traditional birthstone for the month of April. It’s associated with the zodiac signs Aries and Taurus.

The word diamond is also used to refer to a shape (♦), like the one that’s used as one of the four “suits” on playing cards. Sometimes, it refers to a shape that looks like a cut diamond gem. This is how the word is used in baseball diamond.

Diamond can be used as an adjective to describe things that include diamonds (as in a diamond necklace), are made of diamond (as in a diamond drill bit tip), or are diamond-shaped or diamond-patterned, among other things.

The word diamond is sometimes used to describe a 75-year anniversary, as in It’s my grandparents’ diamond anniversary this year—I can’t believe they’ve been married for 75 years!

Example: Look at her ring—that must be the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen!

Where does diamond come from?

Etymologically speaking, the word diamond comes from the Latin adamas, meaning “hard metal” or “diamond.” It ultimately comes from Greek work that perhaps meant “unconquerable”—a reference to its famed hardness—from the prefix a-, meaning “not,” and damân, meaning “to tame” or “conquer.” The first records of the word diamond come from the late 1200s.

Naturally speaking, diamond is the purest form of carbon. Diamonds are formed under conditions of extreme temperature and pressure. They are most commonly found in volcanic rock. Only a small percentage of diamonds are suitable for cutting into gemstones. Poorly formed ones are used in abrasives and in industrial cutting tools.

The modern popularity of diamonds is often traced in part to a 1950s marketing campaign to associate them with engagement rings. Despite diamonds’ popularity, price, and reputation for rareness, many other precious gems are just as rare or even rarer.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to diamond?

  • diamondlike (adjective)

What are some words that share a root or word element with diamond

What are some words that often get used in discussing diamond?

How is diamond used in real life?

Due to their popularity in expensive jewelry, diamonds are associated with wealth and luxury. However, because diamond mining has a history that’s associated with exploitation of workers in war-torn areas, some people avoid diamonds or only purchase ones that are classified as “conflict-free.”

 

 

Try using diamond!

True or False?

Diamonds are the rarest of all precious stones.

How to use diamond in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for diamond

diamond
/ (ˈdaɪəmənd) /

noun
verb
(tr) to decorate with or as with diamonds

Derived forms of diamond

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

Scientific definitions for diamond

diamond
[ dīə-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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
FEEDBACK