carat

See also: carât

English

Alternative forms
  • (unit of purity): karat, k (North America)

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, “forming diminutives”). Doublet of karat and quilate.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈkæɹ.ət/
  • Rhymes: -æɹət
  • Homophones: karat, carrot, caret (weak vowel merger)

Noun

carat (plural carats)

  1. A metric unit of weight equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls .
  2. (historical) Any of several small units of weight used for measuring precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 189–212 mg.
  3. A 24-point scale used to measure the purity of gold.
    18-carat gold is 75% gold by mass. 24k gold is 100% pure.

Hyponyms
  • metric carat (SI unit equal to 0.2 g exactly), quilate (historical Iberian and Latin American contexts)

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

French

Noun

carat m (plural carats)

  1. carat

Further reading

Middle French

Etymology

First known attestation in 1360 in the plural as quarais. Attested in the singular as quaret at least as early as 1433. Spellings with an initial c- first attested 1367[1].

Noun

carat m (plural caras or caraz)

  1. carat (measure of purity of gold)

References
  1. Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (carat, supplement)

Middle Irish

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈkarəd/

Noun

carat

  1. genitive singular/plural of cara (“friend; relative”)

Mutation
Middle Irish mutation
RadicalLenitionNasalization
caratcharatcarat
pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old Irish

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ˈkarad]

Noun

carat

  1. genitive singular/dual/plural of cara

Mutation
Old Irish mutation
RadicalLenitionNasalization
carat charat carat
pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French carat.

Noun

carat n (plural carate)

  1. carat, karat

Declension
Declension of carat
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) carat caratul (niște) carate caratele
genitive/dative (unui) carat caratului (unor) carate caratelor
vocative caratule caratelor
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