Definitions

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

  • noun A colorless artificial gem of paste or glass, often with facets that sparkle in imitation of a diamond.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An imitation stone made of paste or strass (a lead glass), generally cut in the form of a brilliant and made and cut to imitate the diamond, set usually in silver or other inexpensive mounting. Rhinestones were extensively worn in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and are now much used in shoebuckles, clasps, and ornaments for the hair.

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

  • noun A colorless stone of high luster, made of paste. It is much used as an inexpensive ornament.

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

  • noun an artificial diamond
  • adjective made of or encrusted with rhinestones

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

  • noun an imitation diamond made from rock crystal or glass or paste

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After the Rhine (translation of French caillou du Rhin, piece of rock crystal gathered from the Rhine (such as used to imitate diamonds) : caillou, pebble + du, of the + Rhin, Rhine).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

A calque of French caillou du Rhin ("Rhine pebble").

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