quilate
/kiˈlate/masculine
The English word "carat" is translated into Spanish as quilate.
In Spanish, quilate is a masculine noun used to denote the measure of purity for gold. When you are specifying a specific purity, such as 18-carat gold, you would say oro de 18 quilates.
Meaning: measure of the purity of gold (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of quilate is quilates.
How do you pronounce it?
/kiˈlate/
Did you know?
- The word quilate shares its origins with the English word 'carat' and the Greek word kerátion, which refers to the 'carob' fruit. Historically, carob seeds were used as a standardized unit of weight because their weight is remarkably consistent.
- Spanish uses quilate for both the purity of gold and the weight of gemstones, whereas English uses two different spellings: 'karat' for purity and 'carat' for weight.
- If you want to say someone is a person of great value or high moral standing, you can describe them as un hombre de muchos quilates.
Examples in context
- Este diamante tiene 2 quilates de peso.This diamond weighs 2 carats.
- Este topacio pesa 3 quilatesThis topaz weighs 3 carats
- El oro de alto quilate es muy caro.High karat gold is very expensive.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are looking at jewelry in a store.
- SofíaMira este collar, es muy brillante.Look at this necklace, it is very shiny.
- Daniel¿Sabes de cuántos quilates es?Do you know how many carats it is?
- SofíaDice que es de catorce quilates.It says that it is fourteen carats.
- DanielEntonces es una buena opción.Then it is a good option.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “carat” translations and entries quilate, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quilate, CC BY-SA 4.0.
