diamond

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
  2. noun very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem
  3. noun a parallelogram with four equal sides; an oblique-angled equilateral parallelogram

Etymology

From Middle English dyamaunt, from Old French diamant, from Late Latin diamās, from Latin adamās, from Ancient Greek ἀδάμᾱς (adámās, “diamond”). Doublet of adamant. The printing sense is a calque of Dutch diamant, used by Dirck Voskens who first cut it around 1700; compare pearl, ruby (“size of type between pearl and nonpareil”).

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