onyx

Meaning

Noun

1. A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
2. A jet-black color, named after the gemstone.
3. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga.

Adj

jet-black

Synonyms

coal-black

nail

ungula

black onyx

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɒnɪks/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: onix

In summary

From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.