karat

or car·at

[ kar-uh t ]

/ ˈkær ət /

noun

a unit for measuring the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine. Abbreviation: k., kt.

Nearby words

karan, karanda, karanga, karankawa, karaoke, karat, karate, karate-chop, karateka, karaya gum, karbala

Origin of karat

First recorded in 1550–60; spelling variant of carat

Can be confusedcarat caret carrot karat

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

Examples from the Web for karat

"You're solid, fourteen karat gold, Slady," he finally said.
Tom Slade at Black Lake|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Gold leaf should be 18 to 22 karat, and neither aluminum nor silver leaf should be used.
Library Bookbinding|Arthur Low Bailey
O'Reilly's judgment proved to be good, as, when weighed, it was found to be of 22 karat.
Seven Legs Across the Seas|Samuel Murray
Selim bought her last winter for a ten karat ruby and a pint of sapphires.
The Man From Brodney's|George Barr McCutcheon

It is now on the market as kunzite, and a cut stone of one karat in weight sells for fifty dollars and more.
The Heritage of the Hills|Arthur P. Hankins

British Dictionary definitions for karat

karat

/ (ˈkærət) /

noun

US and Canadian a measure of the proportion of gold in an alloy, expressed as the number of parts of gold in 24 parts of the alloyAlso spelt (in Britain and certain other countries): carat

Word Origin for karat

C16: from Old French, from Medieval Latin carratus, from Arabic qīrāt weight of four grains, carat, from Greek keration a little horn, from keras horn

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

Word Origin and History for karat

karat

variant of carat (q.v.). In U.S., karat is used for "proportion of fine gold in an alloy" and carat for "weight of a precious stone."