carat

[ kar-uht ]

noun

1. a unit of weight in gemstones, 200 milligrams (about 3 grains of troy or avoirdupois weight). : c., ct.
2. karat.

carat

/ ˈkærət /

noun

1. a measure of the weight of precious stones, esp diamonds. It was formerly defined as 3.17 grains, but the international carat is now standardized as 0.20 grams
2. Usual US spellingkarat a measure of the proportion of gold in an alloy, expressed as the number of parts of gold in 24 parts of the alloy

Word History and Origins

Origin of carat¹

1545–55; < Medieval Latin carratus (used by alchemists) < Arabic qīrāṭ weight of 4 grains < Greek kerátion carob bean, weight of 3.333 grains, literally, little horn, equivalent to kerat- (stem of kéras ) horn + -ion diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of carat¹

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

Example Sentences

Jewels from the original, which was set with 650 diamonds and weighed around 2,800 carats, were sold piecemeal on the black market.

From BBC

Over 25 carats of diamonds surround the band, and an unenhanced pink sapphire sits at its center.

From Los Angeles Times

It contains just under 400 diamonds, rubies and sapphires and is set onto yellow gold, with a total karat weight of approximately 6 carats.

From Los Angeles Times

These gold hoop earrings, designed by Nolan, feature diamonds totaling 1 carat.

From Los Angeles Times

Officials have confiscated electronic devices, documents, and over 8,000 carats of suspected synthetic gem stones apparently meant for export to India.

From Seattle Times