An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Karat

by Friedrich Kluge

Karat, neuter, ‘carat,’ not derived fro Middle High German gárât, feminine and neuter, ‘carat,’ which in Modern High German must have been Gárat. The Modern High German has been more probably borrowed anew from French carat or Italian caráto; the Middle High German word has adopted the German accent, while the Modern High German term preserves the accent of the Romance word upon which it is based.