Where does “karat” come from?
karat (Malay) comes from English carat, from Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط, from Ancient Greek κεράτιον, from Ancient Greek κέρας, from Proto-Hellenic *kérats.
karat (Malay): rust
Definitions
- rust
Ancestry of “karat”, step by step
karat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English carat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | carat | A unit of weight for precious stones and pearls,... |
| 2 | Middle French | carat | carat (measure of purity of gold) |
| 3 | Italian | carato | carat; share; first-person singular present... |
| 4 | Arabic | قِيرَاط | carat; husk |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κεράτιον | small horn; carat, 1⁄1728 of a pound; a Byzantine... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κέρας | horn; horn as a material, or anything made of... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *kérats | — |