Garnet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɑː(ɹ).nət/

Definitions

1. A deep red gemstone often used in jewelry, formed from silicate minerals under high temperature and pressure conditions
2. A precious stone that comes in multiple colors and is prized for its beauty in adornments, as well as its durability useful in industrial processes
3. A mineral that manifests in various colors, valued for its decorative appeal in jewelry and utilized for its hardness in industrial applications

Etymology: The name of the gemstone is older than most of its colour names, and it comes from a fruit. Old French "grenat" meant "pomegranate red," a shade named after the seeds of the pomegranate, which look like tiny glowing jewels. The Old French word was itself built on "grenate," the pomegranate-fruit word, so a deep red stone took its name from a deep red fruit. In Middle English the word appeared in forms such as "gernet" and "granate," and English speakers borrowed it for the stone, which was prized for its colour. Garnet and grenade are doublets: they descend from the same Old French root but reached English by different routes. "Grenade" entered through the military sense of an explosive shell, which was named after the pomegranate's resemblance to a fruit with many seeds.

Synonyms: gem, stone