cairngorm

[ kairn-gawrm ]

noun

1. smoky quartz.

cairngorm

/ ˌkernˈɡɒrm; ˈkɛənˌɡɔːm /

noun

1. a smoky yellow, grey, or brown variety of quartz, used as a gemstone Also calledsmoky quartz

Word History and Origins

Origin of cairngorm¹

1785–95; short for Cairngorm stone, i.e., stone from Cairngorm Mountains

Word History and Origins

Origin of cairngorm¹

C18: from Cairn Gorm (literally: blue cairn), mountain in Scotland where it is found

Example Sentences

Rising, she pinned a cairngorm brooch at her neck, and went down to dinner.

From Literature

The cairngorm eyes of the elder damsel were opened to their full width with the far-seeing blindness of a somnambulist.

From Project Gutenberg

Doreen darted forth such a golden flash from her cairngorm eyes as flooded the heart of the tempest-tossed young man with a gleam of sunshine.

From Project Gutenberg

Ornaments were worn wherever there was a place for them, but the only jewels were cairngorms, and they were always set in silver.

From Project Gutenberg

Serpentine abounds in several places, especially at Portsoy, where it is known as 'Portsoy marble', and Scotch topazes or cairngorm stones are found on the mountains in the south.

From Project Gutenberg