2O4, reflecting a band of light that shifts position as the gem is turned.' name='description'> cat's-eye - definition and meaning

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various semiprecious gems such as chrysoberyl, BeAl2O4, reflecting a band of light that shifts position as the gem is turned.
  • noun A glass or plastic reflector designed to glow in the beam of a headlight, used on a vehicle as a safety device or set in rows along a highway as lane markers.
  • noun A marble having an eyelike design, such as concentric circles or a colored center set in clear glass.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In pathology, an opalescent appearance of the eye in certain cases of amaurosis.
  • noun See tiger's-eye.
  • noun The operculum of a marine mollusk, Turbo smaragdus.
  • noun A variety of quartz, very hard and semi-transparent, and from certain points exhibiting a yellowish opalescent radiation or chatoyant appearance, whence the name.
  • noun A species of the plant scabious, Scabiosa stellata.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Min.) A variety of quartz or chalcedony, exhibiting opalescent reflections from within, like the eye of a cat. The name is given to other gems affording like effects, esp. the chrysoberyl.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun mineralogy A gemstone mineral (a variety of chalcedonic quartz) that has a lustre resembling the eye of a cat when cut en cabochon
  • noun UK, New Zealand Any of a chain of reflecting studs used to demarcate traffic lanes.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any of various gems (as chrysoberyl or chalcedony) that reflect light when cut in a rounded shape

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • Damaris wore a butter-yellow dress that perfectly matched her soft hair and that was adorned with tiny seed pearls and creamy brown cat's-eye agates.

    Stalling 2010

  • She'd changed into a cute little sundress in the bathroom, fluffed up her newly straightened dark brown hair, put on the chic cat's-eye glasses.

    7th Heaven Patterson, James 2008

  • With Halloween near, the company is introducing a cat's-eye lens like Michael Jackson's in the "" Thriller '' video.

    There's More Than Meets The Eye Here 2008

  • "I'm finding this cat's-eye thing incredibly fascinating," she said.

    Old Mans War 2005

  • Most of the pieces were cat's-eye items and had come from Arzor.

    Beast Master's Circus Norton, Andre 2004

  • To a camp child a stone worth only a fraction of the value Logan had quoted on a green cat's-eye gem was still real riches.

    Beast Master's Circus Norton, Andre 2004

  • The girl too had wisely stripped her cat's-eye jewelry, gifts of the tribe, and hidden it in a hastily scooped hole just by the tent rim.

    Beast Master's Circus Norton, Andre 2004

  • She had enough to pay her way for two years with the credits Prauo had brought her and the cat's-eye the Quades had permitted her to keep.

    Beast Master's Circus Norton, Andre 2004

  • Use the cat's-eye gem to buy passage back to Arzor.

    Beast Master's Circus Norton, Andre 2004

  • He touched the leather thong still around his own neck, and turned it in his hands until the cat's-eye jewel strung on it was in his hand.

    Acorna's Rebels McCaffrey, Anne 2003

Comments

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  • i.e. chrysoberyl

    May 5, 2011