Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chatoyant

/ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.01 in modern English

Syllables: cha-toy-ant
IPA: /ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having a certain optical reflectance effect, which can be likened to the sheen of a spool of silk.

noun

A hard stone, such as the cat's-eye, which presents on a polished surface, and in the interior, an undulating or wavy light.

Example Sentences

"chatoyant effect"
"I managed to move sufficiently to see at the top, as I fired up the stairs, the yellow face of Dr. Fu-Manchu, to see the gleaming, chatoyant eyes, greenly terrible, as they sought to pierce the gloom."
"Cover a tin using two or more colors of chatoyant clay separated by black strips."

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).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: chatoyant

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/

Inflected Forms

more chatoyant (comparative) most chatoyant (superlative) chatoyants (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

chatoyancy

Synonyms

changeable iridescent shot

Questions

How do you pronounce chatoyant?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/.
What does chatoyant mean?: Having a certain optical reflectance effect, which can be likened to the sheen of a spool of silk.
Where does chatoyant come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce chatoyant

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “chatoyant”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “chatoyant”.
Repeat and practice — Say “chatoyant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.