onyx
/ˈɒnɪks/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms onyxes
- noun (mineralogy) A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
- noun A jet-black color, named after the gemstone.
- noun Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga.
- adjective Jet-black; often, glossily so.
- proper noun A census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Chalcedony in parallel layers of different shades of color. It is used for making cameos, the figure being cut in one layer with the next as a ground. Onyx marble, a banded variety of marble or calcium carbonate resembling onyx. It is obtained from Mexico.
Etymology [L., fr. Gr. Nail, and cf. Onycha.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “onyx”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details