Onyx
//ˈɒnɪks// adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. countable, uncountable
"People talk about using marble in the bathrooms. Marble wasn't good enough for use—we have onyx!"
- 2 a chalcedony with alternating black and white bands; used in making cameos wordnet
- 3 A jet-black color, named after the gemstone. countable, uncountable
"Near-synonyms: ebony, raven"
- 4 Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga. countable, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Jet-black; often, glossily so. not-comparable
"Near-synonyms: ebony, raven"
Proper Noun
- 1 A census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States.
Example
More examples"The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth. And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone."
Etymology
From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.
Related phrases
More for "onyx"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.