chatoyant
English
A chatoyant tiger's eye
Etymology
From French chatoyant, present participle of chatoyer (“to iridesce, like a cat's eye”), from chat (“cat”, because of the reflective qualities of a cat's eye).
Pronunciation
- (US) IPA(key): /ʃəˈtɔɪənt/
Audio (UK) (file)
Adjective
chatoyant (comparative more chatoyant, superlative most chatoyant)
- (jewelry) Having a certain optical reflectance effect, which can be likened to the sheen of a spool of silk.
- chatoyant effect
- 2013, Gail Ritchey, Artful Polymer Clay: Techniques for Stylish Jewelry and Decor, Kalmbach Books, →ISBN, page 71:
- Cover a tin using two or more colors of chatoyant clay separated by black strips.
Related terms
- chatoyancy
Noun
chatoyant (plural chatoyants)
- (mineralogy) A hard stone, such as the cat's-eye, which presents on a polished surface, and in the interior, an undulating or wavy light.
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃa.twa.jɑ̃/
Participle
chatoyant
- present participle of chatoyer
Adjective
chatoyant (feminine chatoyante, masculine plural chatoyants, feminine plural chatoyantes)
- shimmering, iridescent
Further reading
- “chatoyant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.