diamond
diamond — noun
- diamondsingular
- diamondsplural
1. a very hard, clear crystal made of pure carbon that miners dig from the ground a
a very hard, clear crystal made of pure carbon that miners dig from the ground and people prize for jewellery and industrial cutting tools.
Adaeze wore a small diamond on her ring finger at the wedding ceremony.
diamond as countable gemstone on jewellery
The mine in South Africa produces some of the finest diamonds in the world.
Because diamonds are so hard, they can cut through steel and glass.
Sahil bought a diamond ring from the jeweller on Canal Street last month.
A jeweller examined the rough diamond with a magnifying glass before cutting it.
文法句型
diamond [noun] as modifier
a/the diamond
用法筆記
Often used as a modifier before another noun, e.g. diamond ring, diamond mine, diamond cutter.
常見錯誤
2. jewellery or decorative objects that contain diamonds, or diamonds considered as
jewellery or decorative objects that contain diamonds, or diamonds considered as a type of valuable items to wear.
The thieves stole diamonds worth over two million dollars from the museum.
diamonds as valuable items, mass noun
Nellie prefers simple silver jewellery to diamonds for everyday office wear.
Rodrigo gave his fiancée a stunning set of diamonds for their engagement.
The auction house will sell a collection of rare diamonds next Thursday.
Álvaro inherited his grandmother's diamonds and keeps them in a bank safe.
- jewellery
broader term; includes all decorative items worn, not just those with diamonds
用法筆記
When referring to diamond jewellery collectively, diamonds is treated as a plural uncountable noun (e.g. She loves diamonds). As a countable noun it may refer to individual pieces or stones.
3. a flat shape that has four sides of matching length, with two corners wider than
a flat shape that has four sides of matching length, with two corners wider than a square's right angle and two corners narrower, typically drawn with a point at the top.
The old quilt had blue diamonds stitched across its white cotton surface.
diamond pattern on fabric
Children on the street drew a large diamond on the pavement with coloured chalk.
Road signs in Japan use a yellow diamond to warn of sharp curves ahead.
Adina cut the fabric into small diamonds and sewed them together to form a star.
A mosaic artist cut each tile into a diamond to form a star pattern on the museum floor.
- rhombus
formal geometric term for the same shape; less common in daily speech
文法句型
diamond shape
in a diamond
用法筆記
In geometry this shape is called a rhombus. In everyday language, diamond is far more common than rhombus.
常見錯誤
4. the square-shaped area in the middle of a baseball ground, with a base at each c
the square-shaped area in the middle of a baseball ground, with a base at each corner, or the entire playing surface for the sport.
The shortstop threw the ball across the diamond to first base for the final out.
diamond = baseball infield area
The groundskeeper carefully raked the diamond before the championship game started.
Children in the neighbourhood turned the empty lot into a small diamond with cardboard bases.
The coach walked onto the diamond before the game and checked that each base was properly fastened.
Cyrus stepped onto the diamond for his first professional game feeling both nervous and excited.
- infield
the inner part of a baseball field, specifically the area around the bases
- ball field
general term for any baseball field
用法筆記
Strictly speaking, the diamond is the infield area between the bases. In casual use, it can refer to the entire baseball field.
5. the category of playing cards that show small red diamond-shaped symbols; it is
the category of playing cards that show small red diamond-shaped symbols; it is a member of the standard deck's four card families, alongside hearts, spades, and clubs.
At the poker table, Lin's hand contained three diamonds, giving her a strong chance to win the round.
suit name: diamonds as a countable category
Élise shuffled the deck and dealt each player seven cards from the diamonds suit.
Cyrus held four diamonds and hoped to draw a fifth on the next turn.
Sari's favourite suit is diamonds because she thinks the red symbol looks cheerful.
用法筆記
The four suits in order of rank in many games: spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs. When referring to the suit as a category, diamonds can be treated as singular (Diamonds is the lowest suit in bridge).
6. an individual playing card that belongs to the diamond suit, showing one or more
an individual playing card that belongs to the diamond suit, showing one or more red diamond-shaped symbols.
Sari laid the queen of diamonds on the table and smiled at her winning hand.
pattern: [rank] of diamonds
The only card Eitan needed to complete the sequence was the seven of diamonds.
Olivia slipped the ace of diamonds into her pocket as a lucky charm.
Adina turned over the final card and found the diamond she needed to win.
文法句型
the/that + [rank] of diamonds
用法筆記
Sense 5 refers to the suit as a category; this sense refers to the individual card. The phrase 'a diamond' in card contexts always means a single playing card of the diamond suit.
diamond — adjective
- diamondpositive
- more diamondcomparative
- most diamondsuperlative
1. relating to the 60th or 75th year of a marriage or other important event, especi
relating to the 60th or 75th year of a marriage or other important event, especially a wedding anniversary or a royal jubilee.
The couple celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary with a large family dinner.
collocation: diamond wedding (60th)
Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897 marked sixty years on the throne.
collocation: diamond jubilee (60th of reign)
The town council organised a week of celebrations for the diamond jubilee of the local hospital.
The museum held a special exhibition for the diamond anniversary of the city's founding.
文法句型
diamond + [anniversary/jubilee/wedding]
用法筆記
A diamond wedding anniversary is the 60th anniversary, while a diamond jubilee can be either the 60th or 75th anniversary depending on tradition. This sense is always used before a noun.
常見錯誤
diamond — verb
- diamondpresent simple I / you / we / they
- diamonds3rd person singular
- diamonding-ing form
- diamondedpast simple
1. to decorate or cover a surface with diamonds or objects that look like diamonds,
to decorate or cover a surface with diamonds or objects that look like diamonds, such as sparkling drops of water or light.
The queen's robe was diamonded with precious stones for the grand ceremony.
passive construction: be diamonded with
Morning dew diamonded the spider's web stretched between two garden bushes.
figurative use: dew as diamonds
The night sky was diamonded with countless stars above the quiet mountain village.
Her silk dress was diamonded with tiny mirrors that sparkled under the ballroom lights.
文法句型
be diamonded with [something]
用法筆記
This is a very rare and literary verb. In modern everyday English, diamond is almost never used as a verb. The passive form (be diamonded with) is more common than the active.