onyx
[on-iks, oh-niks]
- 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.
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- black, especially jet black.
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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
Related Words
jetcoalslatepitchjettysablebrunetebonycharcoalsloeobsidianravencloudeddingyduskyinkylividmurkypitch-blackpitchyExamples from the Web for onyx
Contemporary Examples
By contrast this cup is made of gold, onyx, precious stones, and the stone agate.
The 1952 onyx & diamond panther bracelet sold for $7,036,874, the highest ever paid for a bracelet or any Cartier at auction.
At the Men of ONYX booth, I decided to give the Butt Plug Toss a whirl.
Historical Examples
My brother Jean made me a present of an onyx of great beauty.
The Memoires of Casanova, CompleteJacques Casanova de Seingalt
The huge reception hall was trimmed from floor to dome in onyx and gold.
The Root of EvilThomas Dixon
Then, and not till then, had any one time to turn a glance towards the Onyx.
The Three MidshipmenW.H.G. Kingston
Harrasford was credited with designs for a palace in onyx and marble.
The Bill-ToppersAndre Castaigne
The pulpit is of carved stone with inlaid slabs of American onyx.
The Kensington DistrictGeraldine Edith Mitton
onyx
- 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
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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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
onyx
(ŏn′ĭks)- unguis
- A collection of pus in the anterior chamber of the eye.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
onyx
[ŏn′ĭks]
- A type of chalcedony that occurs in straight and parallel bands of different colors, often black and white.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.