chalcedony

chal·ce·do·ny

noun \kal-ˈse-d^ən-ē, chal-; ˈkal-sə-ˌdō-nē, ˈchal-, -ˌdä-\

plural chal·ce·do·nies

Definition of CHALCEDONY

: a translucent variety of quartz of various colors and waxy luster

— chal·ce·don·ic \ˌkal-sə-ˈdä-nik\ adjective

Origin of CHALCEDONY

Middle English calcedonie, a precious stone, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin chalcedonius, from Greek Chalkēdōn Chalcedon

First Known Use: 13th century

Rhymes with CHALCEDONY

Kisangani, maharani, Nuristani, Rafsanjani, Rajasthani

chalcedony

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Very fine-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz. A form of chert, it occurs in a great variety of colours, usually bluish white, gray, yellow, or brown. Other physical properties are those of quartz. For centuries, chalcedony has been the stone most used by gem engravers, and many varieties are still cut and polished as ornamental stones. See also agate; carnelian; onyx.

Variants of CHALCEDONY

chalcedony or calcedony