carnelian means A hard, reddish brown chalcedony used in jewelry.
carnelian is pronounced /kɑɹˈnil.jən/.
Why “carnelian” is a great word
A hard, reddish-brown variety of chalcedony used as a semiprecious stone in jewelry, from 'cornelian,' the red form of chalcedony, influenced by the Latin *carneus* ('fleshy') due to its color. Unlike sard, a deeper, duskier brownish-red, or the pale, spectral family of chalcedony from which it springs, carnelian is all warmth and vivid life. It is the bead found cooling in an Egyptian tomb, the translucent heart of a late-summer peach, and the rich, waxy seal pressed into warm parchment—a captured ember worn close to the skin, as if geology itself were trying to remember blood.
Etymology
From cornelian, the red form named carneolus under the influence of Latin carneus (“fleshy”) because of its color.
noun
- A hard, reddish brown chalcedony used in jewelry.
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