A type of opalescent or milky white stone or mineral, sometimes used in jewelry or as a gemstone.
From Russian 'kacholan' or Kirghiz languages, borrowed into European languages during 19th-century mineralogy studies. The word describes a gemstone found in Central Asia. The exact etymological path from the Central Asian languages to English scientific terminology remains somewhat uncertain.
Cacholong is found near the Caspian Sea and has been mined for centuries, but European scientists didn't give it a formal name until the 1800s—it's a reminder that many 'discoveries' were just Europeans finally documenting what local people already knew.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.