carat

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a metric unit of mass equal to 200 milligrams, used for gemstones and pearls

   The central diamond weighs just over one carat.

2. 2
   noun

   one of twenty-four parts by mass used to state the purity of gold; also spelled karat in American English

   The bracelet is made from eighteen-carat gold.

Simplified etymology

Carat came through French from Italian carato, which derives from Arabic kīrāṭ, a unit of weight. The Arabic word ultimately goes back to Greek keration, used for both a carob seed and a unit of weight; it literally meant “little horn,” referring to the shape of the carob pod.

Through French carat and Italian carato from Arabic qirat, ultimately from Greek keration, 'little horn; carob seed.' Carob seeds were associated with small standard weights, giving rise to the gemstone unit and then the gold-purity scale.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary