Etymology

rhinestone

R1H4I1N1E1S1T1O1N1E1

Today it means: A diamond simulant, strass. Full definition →

French caillou du Rhin
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The story

  1. French · calque ofcaillou du Rhin“Rhine pebble”
  2. English todayrhinestone

From Rhine + stone; a calque of French caillou du Rhin (“Rhine pebble”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.