golconda

Everyday

1. (a name) Golconda is an old fort and city ruin near Hyderabad in India, once famous for its diamond mines and diamond trade. tree →
2. (old, literary) A golconda is a source of great wealth, like a very rich mine. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons Golconda is famous because some of the world's best-known diamonds, such as the Koh-i-Noor and the Hope Diamond, are believed to come from its mines. In old books, calling something «a golconda» means it is a treasure chest of riches. It is also the name of a famous painting by René Magritte with men in bowler hats falling like rain.

Examples

• Golconda Fort stands on a hill near Hyderabad in India. tree →
• The diamonds of Golconda were famous all over the world. tree →
• The Koh-i-Noor diamond is believed to come from the Golconda mines. tree →
• (old) To the explorers, the gold field was a real golconda. tree →
• Magritte's painting Golconda shows men in bowler hats floating in the sky. tree →

Note

As a place name it has a capital G. The common-noun sense («a golconda») is old-fashioned and very rare today; «a gold mine» is the everyday phrase.