carat: [16] The carat gets its name from the use of carob beans as standard weights for measuring the heaviness of small quantities. The Greek name for the elongated seed pod of the carob tree was kerátion, a derivative of kéras ‘horn’ (related to English horn). This passed into Arabic as qīrāt, where it became formalized in a system of weights and measures as ‘four grains’. It passed into English via Italian carato and French carat. => horn
carat (n.)
also karat, mid-15c., from Middle French carat "measure of the fineness of gold" (14c.), from Italian carato or Medieval Latin carratus, both from Arabic qirat "fruit of the carob tree," also "weight of 4 grains," from Greek keration "carob seed," also the name of a small weight of measure (one-third obol), literally "little horn" diminutive of keras "horn" (see kerato-).
Carob beans were a standard for weighing small quantities. As a measure of diamond weight, from 1570s in English. The Greek measure was the equivalent of the Roman siliqua, which was one-twentyfourth of a golden solidus of Constantine; hence karat took on a sense of "a proportion of one twentyfourth" and became a measure of gold purity (1550s). Eighteen carat gold is eighteen parts gold, six parts alloy. It is unlikely that the classical carat ever was a measure of weight for gold.
双语例句
1. an 18-carat gold ring
18开的金戒指
来自《权威词典》
2. She has a four - carat stone in her ring.
她的戒指镶有一颗四克拉的宝石.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. Can you believe that he bought her a 5.3 - carat diamond ring?
你知道吗,他买了一颗5.3克拉的钻石戒指给她?
来自互联网
4. One sign of Mastitis mastitis is carat cracked skin on the tisteats.
乳腺癌的一个现象是**皮肤裂开,同时乳腺发热,疼痛变大.
来自互联网
5. This diamond, may process is 150 carat fine diamonds.
