cat's eye
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A gem which possesses chatoy- ancy, or a changeable lustre. The true, or precious, cat's eye is a variety of chrysoberyl. The semi-precious cat's eye is a kind of quartz.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cat's eye” mean?
A gem which possesses chatoy- ancy, or a changeable lustre. The true, or precious, cat's eye is a variety of chrysoberyl. The semi-precious cat's eye is a kind of quartz.
Is “cat's eye” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.