onyx Hear it!

onyx definition

onyx (än′iks)

noun

  1. a variety of agate with alternate colored layers, used as a semiprecious stone, esp. in making cameos
  2. a translucent, finely crystalline calcite, often banded, found in stalagmites
    also called onyx marble

Etymology: ME onix < OFr < L onyx < Gr, the nail: its color resembles that of the fingernail

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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