Meanings
onyx1
plural onyxes
- countableuncountablechemistryA banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
People talk about using marble in the bathrooms. Marble wasn't good enough for use—we have onyx!
2023 September 23, Tom Robbins, “Suite dreams”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1
- not comparableJet-black; often, glossily so.
Near-synonyms: ebony, raven
2 more examples
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
, Genesis, 2:12There was no moon, only stars set brilliantly in the soft black onyx of the sky : a black night and very silent on Cimiez ; and a black and silent prospect from the verandah […]
1922, Michael Arlen, “3/7/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days
Onyx2
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekὄνυξ“onyx”
- Latinonyx
- Old Frenchoniche
- Middle Englishonix
- Englishonyx
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic جَزْع
- جَزْع (jazʕ)a banded variety of chalcedony
Basque onize
- onizea banded variety of chalcedony
Bulgarian оникс
- оникс (oniks)a banded variety of chalcedony
Catalan ònix
- ònixa banded variety of chalcedony
Chinese Mandarin 縞瑪瑙 /缟玛瑙, 紅璧璽 /红璧玺
- 縞瑪瑙 /缟玛瑙 (gǎomǎnǎo)a banded variety of chalcedony
- 紅璧璽 /红璧玺 (hóngbìxǐ)a banded variety of chalcedony
Czech onyx
- onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
Danish onyks
- onyksa banded variety of chalcedony
Dutch onyx
- onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
Estonian oonüks
- oonüksa banded variety of chalcedony
Finnish onyksi
- onyksia banded variety of chalcedony
French onyx
- onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
German Onyx
- Onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
Hebrew שֹׁהַם
- שֹׁהַם (shóham)a banded variety of chalcedony
Hindi सुलैमानी पत्थर
- सुलैमानी पत्थर (sulaimānī patthar)a banded variety of chalcedony
Irish oinisc
- oinisca banded variety of chalcedony
Italian onice
- onicea banded variety of chalcedony
Japanese オニキス, オニックス
- オニキス (onikisu)a banded variety of chalcedony
- オニックス (onikkusu)a banded variety of chalcedony
Korean 오닉스
- 오닉스 (onikseu)a banded variety of chalcedony
Latin onyx
- onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
Latvian onikss
- onikssa banded variety of chalcedony
Lithuanian oniksas
- oniksasa banded variety of chalcedony
Māori onika
- onikaa banded variety of chalcedony
Norwegian onyx
- onyxa banded variety of chalcedony
Persian عقیق سلیمانی
- عقیق سلیمانی ('aqiq-e soleymâni)a banded variety of chalcedony
Polish onyks
- onyksa banded variety of chalcedony
Portuguese ónix
- ónixa banded variety of chalcedony
Romanian onix
- onixa banded variety of chalcedony
Russian о́никс
- о́никс (óniks)a banded variety of chalcedony
Spanish ónix, ónice
- ónixa banded variety of chalcedony
- ónicea banded variety of chalcedony
- óniquea banded variety of chalcedony
Swahili sardoniki
- sardonikia banded variety of chalcedony
Tagalog oniks
- oniksa banded variety of chalcedony
Thai โอนิกซ์
- โอนิกซ์ (oo-ník)a banded variety of chalcedony
Turkish oniks
- oniksa banded variety of chalcedony
Ukrainian о́нікс
- о́нікс (óniks)a banded variety of chalcedony
Urdu سلیمانی پتھر
- سلیمانی پتھر (sulaimānī patthar)a banded variety of chalcedony
Welsh onics
- onicsa banded variety of chalcedony
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with onyx
Cite this entry
onyx. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onyx
“onyx.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onyx. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “onyx,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onyx.
Source: onyx on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.