Where does “carat” come from?
Carat comes from Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط, from Ancient Greek κεράτιον, from κέρας meaning horn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂-.
carat (English): A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls,...
Definitions
- A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls,...
Ancestry of “carat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | carat | carat (measure of purity of gold) |
| 2 | Italian | carato | carat; share; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Arabic | قِيرَاط | carat; husk |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | κεράτιον | small horn; carat, 1⁄1728 of a pound; a Byzantine... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κέρας | horn; horn as a material, or anything made of... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *kérats | — |