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Definition of karat

karat

/ˈkær.ət/
(UK: carat)
kar · at
Plural:karats
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karat Lexical Profile

karat Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

North American A unit of fineness for gold equal to one twenty-fourth part of pure gold in an alloy, so that 24-karat gold is pure gold.

Example

"The jeweler explained that an 18-karat wedding band contains 75 percent pure gold mixed with durable alloy metals."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for karat

Word Nuance & Usage

In American English, 'karat' is used strictly for measuring the purity of gold alloys, whereas 'carat' is used for measuring the weight of gemstones and pearls; in British English, 'carat' is used for both senses.

• Rhymes for karat

• Nearby Words

karachi
karakoram
karaoke
karat
karate
karisimbi
karkheh

Word Origin & Etymology

An orthographic variant of 'carat', borrowed from French 'carat' and Italian 'carato', from Arabic 'qīrāṭ' and Ancient Greek 'kerátion' ('carob seed'), as uniform carob seeds were historically used in marketplaces as counterweights to measure gold and precious stones.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Karat. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 4, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/karat
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