onyx

[on-iks, oh-niks]

See more synonyms for onyx on Thesaurus.com

noun

Mineralogy. a variety of chalcedony having straight parallel bands of alternating colors.Compare Mexican onyx.
(not used technically) an unbanded chalcedony dyed for ornamental purposes.
black, especially a pure or jet black.

Medicine/Medical. a nail of a finger or toe.

adjective

black, especially jet black.

Origin of onyx

1250–1300; Middle English onix < Latin onyx < Greek ónyx nail, claw, veined gem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for onyx

Contemporary Examples

By contrast this cup is made of gold, onyx, precious stones, and the stone agate.
Spain’s New ‘Holy Grail’: Jesus Couldn’t Afford That Kind of Bling
Candida Moss
April 6, 2014
The 1952 onyx & diamond panther bracelet sold for $7,036,874, the highest ever paid for a bracelet or any Cartier at auction.
Buying the Royal Jewels
Martyn Gregory
December 3, 2010
At the Men of ONYX booth, I decided to give the Butt Plug Toss a whirl.
Getting Whipped at Leather Pride
Spencer Morgan
June 26, 2009

Historical Examples

My brother Jean made me a present of an onyx of great beauty.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete
Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
The huge reception hall was trimmed from floor to dome in onyx and gold.
The Root of Evil
Thomas Dixon
Then, and not till then, had any one time to turn a glance towards the Onyx.
The Three Midshipmen
W.H.G. Kingston
Harrasford was credited with designs for a palace in onyx and marble.
The Bill-Toppers
Andre Castaigne
The pulpit is of carved stone with inlaid slabs of American onyx.
The Kensington District
Geraldine Edith Mitton

British Dictionary definitions for onyx

onyx

noun

a variety of chalcedony with alternating black and white parallel bands, used as a gemstone. Formula: SiO 2
a compact variety of calcite used as an ornamental stone; onyx marble. Formula: CaCO 3

Word Origin

C13: from Latin from Greek: fingernail (so called from its veined appearance)

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 onyx

n.

mid-13c., from Old French oniche "onyx" (12c.), and directly from Latin onyx (genitive onychis), from Greek onyx "onyx-stone," originally "claw, fingernail" (see nail (n.)). So called because the mineral's color sometimes resembles that of a fingernail, pink with white streaks.

onyx in Medicine