Carat
//ˈkɛɹ.ət// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls.
- 2 the unit of measurement for the proportion of gold in an alloy; 18-karat gold is 75% gold; 24-karat gold is pure gold wordnet
- 3 Any of several small units of mass used for measuring precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 189–212 mg. historical
- 4 a unit of weight for precious stones = 200 mg wordnet
- 5 A 24-point scale used to measure the purity of gold.
"18-carat gold is 75% gold by mass. 24-carat gold is pure."
Example
More examples"The ring sports three diamonds, each equaling one tenth of a carat."
Etymology
From Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط (qīrāṭ, “carat, similarly small units such as inches”), from Ancient Greek κεράτιον (kerátion, “hornlet, carob seed”), from κέρας (kéras, “horn”) + -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). Doublet of quilate.
Related phrases
More for "carat"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.