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ag·ate

(ăgĭt)

1. A fine-grained, fibrous variety of chalcedony with colored bands or irregular clouding.

2. A playing marble made of agate or a glass imitation of it; an aggie.

3. A tool with agate parts, such as a burnisher tipped with agate.

4. Printing A type size, about 5 ¹/₂ points.

[Middle English achate, agaten, from Old French acate, agate, alteration (influenced by Greek agathē, good) of Latin achātēs, from Greek akhātēs.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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