zircon
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does zircon mean? Zircon is a common mineral whose colorless, transparent variety is used as a gemstone. Zircon is most often opaque and can be reddish-brown, gray, green, or blue (the color of blue varieties is produced through heat treatment). Reddish-orange zircon is called hyacinth. A rare variety of zircon that can be yellowish, smoky, or colorless is called jargon. Some of zircon’s opaque varieties have practical applications, such as a refractory material for furnaces. Zircon is sometimes called zirconium silicate and is the principal source of the metallic element zirconium. Zircon is categorized as a semiprecious stone, which is a classification used for stones considered to have a lower value than those deemed precious. Due to its similarity, zircon is sometimes used as a substitute for diamonds, which are much more expensive. It should not be confused with cubic zirconia, an artificially manufactured stone that is also used as a diamond substitute. Zircon is one of the December birthstones. It is associated with the zodiac signs Sagitarrius and Capricorn. Example: I didn’t want diamonds in my engagement ring, but I like a clear, natural stone, so I chose zircon.
Etymology
Origin of zircon
First recorded in 1785–95; from German Zirkon, apparently ultimately from Italian giargone; see jargon 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The surge in sales—which more than doubled on-quarter—is underpinned by zircon and synthetic rutile volumes, while rutile lagged, MS says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Analyst Matthew Hope says the Chinese market is weak right now, and one of Iluka’s competitors has reduced its zircon price for China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
For decades, Iluka has been mining zircon in Australia - a key ingredient in ceramics, and titanium dioxide used in the pigmentation of paint, plastics and paper.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2025
"A 2022 Curtin study of the same zircon grain found it had been 'shocked' by a meteorite impact, marking it as the first and only known shocked zircon from Mars," Dr Cavosie said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024
Bournonite; apatite on muscovite; natural zircon in a spray of colors; dozens more minerals he cannot name.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
