Zircon

Origin

From German Zirkon or French zircone, from Arabic زرقون (zarqūn, "cinnabar, bright red"), from Persian زرگون
زریون, from Middle Persian 𐭦𐭫𐭢𐭥𐭭.

Full definition of zircon

Noun

1. (uncountable) A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, usually of a brown or grey colour and consisting of silica and zirconia.
• 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, Gemstones, Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are … . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
2. (countable) A crystal of zircon, sometimes used as a false gemstone.

Derived terms