Where does “quilate” come from?

quilate (Portuguese) comes from Arabic قِيرَاط, from Ancient Greek κεράτιον, from Ancient Greek κέρας, from Proto-Hellenic *kérats.

quilate (Portuguese): carat; excellence; high quality

Definitions

  1. carat; excellence; high quality

Ancestry of “quilate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Arabicقِيرَاطcarat; husk
2Ancient Greekκεράτιονsmall horn; carat, 1⁄1728 of a pound; a Byzantine...
3Ancient Greekκέραςhorn; horn as a material, or anything made of...
4Proto-Hellenic*kérats
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *kératsEvery word from Ancient Greek κέραςEvery word from Ancient Greek κεράτιον