agate

ag·ate  (gt)

n.

1. A fine-grained, fibrous variety of chalcedony with colored bands or irregular clouding.

2. Games A playing marble made of agate or a glass imitation of it; an aggie.

3. A tool with agate parts, such as a burnisher tipped with agate.

4. Printing A type size, approximately 5 ¹/₂ points.

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[Middle English achate, agaten, from Old French acate, agate, alteration (influenced by Greek agath, good) of Latin achts, from Greek akhts.]

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agate [ag-git]

Noun

a hard semiprecious form of quartz with striped colouring [Greek akhatēs]

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agate  (gt)

A type of very fine-grained quartz found in various colors that are arranged in bands or in cloudy patterns. The bands form when water rich with silica enters empty spaces in rock, after which the silica comes out of solution and forms crystals, gradually filling the spaces from the outside inward. The different colors are the result of various impurities in the water.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

agate - an impure form of quartz consisting of banded chalcedony; used as a gemstone and for making mortars and pestles moss agate - an agate resembling moss with brown, black, or green markings calcedony, chalcedony - a milky or greyish translucent to transparent quartz