Onyx, huius ónychis, pen. cor. mase. & fœ. gen. Plin. A nayle. Also a white stone like a nayle, called of other Chalcedonius. Some of them be found in Indie of diuers colours with white speckes.Onyx Martial.A kinde of marble whereof cups were woout to be made. Also the hearbe Astragalus.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
ŏnyx, chis, m. and f., = o)/nuc (a fingernail; hence, from its color). I.Fem., a kind of yellowish marble, onyx, of which vessels of many kinds were made; it was also used for mlaying floors, Plin. 36, 7, 12, 59: totāque effusus in aulā Calcabatur onyx, Luc. 10, 116; calcatusque tuo sub pede lucet onyx, Mart. 12, 50, 4.—B.Masc., a vessel of onyx, an onyx-box: nardi parvus onyx, Hor. C. 4, 12, 17; murrheus,
an ointment-box
, Prop. 3, 8 (4, 9), 22; cf.: Syrio munere plenus onyx, id. 2, 10 (3, 5), 14.— In this signif. also as fem.: unguentum fuerat, quod onyx modo parva gerebat, Mart. 7, 94, 1.—II.A yellowish precious stone, an onyx, Plin. 37, 6, 24, 90—III.The female of a mussel of the scallop species, Plin. 32, 9, 32, 103.