carat

[ kar-uht ]

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

Origin of carat

1
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

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How to use carat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carat

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 spelling: karat a measure of the proportion of gold in an alloy, expressed as the number of parts of gold in 24 parts of the alloy

Origin of carat

1
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

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