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 confused

carat 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