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Definition of "karat" []

  • A unit of measure for the fineness of gold, equal to 1/24 part. Pure gold is 24 karat; gold that is 50 percent pure is 12 karat. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "karat" in a sentence
  • "Whenever gold is purchased, sold, or even discussed, the term karat weight seems to tag along with it."
  • "Vronsky, Anna Karenina's faithless lover, is from the Russian voron, ` raven, 'and Karenina is from the word karat ` to punish.'"
  • "Also, that dental gold is more than 15-karat, which is, sadly, better quality than most of the jewelry I own."