diamond

[ dahy-muhnd, dahy-uh- ]

/ ˈdaɪ mənd, ˈdaɪ ə- /

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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.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

Words nearby diamond

diametrical, diametrically, diamide, diamine, diammonium phosphate, diamond, diamond anniversary, diamondback, diamondback moth, diamondback rattlesnake, diamondback terrapin

Definition 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. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for diamond

The shiny, diamond-shaped pastries, each four-inch slice set off with an almond, were reason enough to head to its source.
This new Azerbaijani bakery offers stories as good as its pastries|Tom Sietsema|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
Zagreus is out collecting the necessary gemstones and diamonds for furnishings in the underworld, but the House Contractor assures us that all work will be safe and neither seen nor heard.
Five sensational vacation destinations from the virtual worlds of video games|Shelly Tan, Elise Favis, Gene Park, Armand Emamdjomeh|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
Electric ones often have diamond-tipped metal pieces, which won’t wear out.
The best knife sharpener to keep your blades safe and effective|Edmund Torr|February 25, 2021|Popular Science
In March, retired Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch, for example, is launching Dodi Blunts — a “premium, crafted cannabis brand-platform” with 24-karat diamond-infused blunts.
The New Face of Entrepreneurship?|Joshua Eferighe|February 21, 2021|Ozy

Your grandma’s diamond ring hasn’t morphed into super-stable graphite.
Extreme pressure? Diamonds can take it|Emily Conover|February 19, 2021|Science News For Students
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
Elderly women played Triple Double Diamond and Tiki Magic while they chain-smoked.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal|Olivia Nuzzi|December 8, 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
He just got a good holt–a shore enough diamond hitch–on that thirst-parlour dawg, and chawed.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
At last she had fallen asleep and dreamed ecstatic dreams about diamond necklaces and thousand franc notes.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
He was decently dressed in grey tweeds, and wore a diamond ring on his little finger.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Later on he went to South Africa, where in the diamond mines he met with great success and made a large fortune.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Joseph Mylchreest was a Manxman, a rough diamond but a man of sterling worth.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

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 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

[ 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.

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