[a. It. caméo, camméo, corresp. to med.L. cammæus (Du Cange): of unknown derivation. Rarely accented as in It. on e.
The mod.F. camée (masc.) is ad. It. cameo (also cammeo, both in Florio 1611). Older F. forms were camehu, cameu, camaheu, camahieu, gamahieu (whence MHG. gàmaheu), camahier, camayeu, and camaïeu still in use, whence occasional Eng. CAMAIEU in 18th c. Sp. has camafeo (in Minsheu, 1623) Pg. camafeo (also acc. to Diez camafeio, camafeu); med.L. had camahutus (in England) 1295, camahotus, camahelus, camaheu, 14th c.; Du Cange has also camasil, camaynus, camayx; camæus (Lives of Abbots of St. Albans). Some of these, possibly all, are formed from the modern langs., though the relations between the earliest known forms, med.L. camahūtus, and OF. camehu, cameu, all found in England in 13th-c. documents, are uncertain. Of the derivation nothing is yet known: guesses may be seen in Mahn, Diez, and Littré.]
A precious stone having two layers of different colors, in the upper of which a figure is carved in relief, while the lower serves as a ground. For this purpose the ancients used the onyx, agate, etc., and especially the sardonyx, ‘a variety of chalcedony, consisting of alternate parallel layers of white and red chalcedony,’ which was carved so as to leave a white figure in relief on a red ground. Thence extended to all lapidary’s work of the same kind; and in modern times (‘by abuse’ Littré says) to similar carving in shells of mollusks, of which the inner stratum is differently colored from the outer.
[1222. Ornamenta Eccl. Sarum, in Register S. Osmund (1884), II. 129. Item capa una … brodata cum morsu argent. in quo continetur lapis unus cameu…. Item capa una … cum morsu argent. in quo continetur magnus camehu.
1295. Visitat. Thesaur. S. Pauli (Monast. Angl. III.) Septem annulos auri, novem cum saphyris … unum cum camahuto.
1530. Palsgr., 202/2. Camuse, precious stone, chamahievx.
1554. in Bristol Wills, 193. My Ryng wth A white camfeo.
1596. Danett, trans. Comines (1614), 157. A ring set with a camée.]
1561. T. Hoby, trans. Castiglione’s Covrtyer (1577), G j a. Olde coynes, cameses[?-oes], grauings.
1670. Lassels, Voy. Italy, I. 127. Rich jewels, strange stones, cameos, pictures.
1747. Dingley, in Phil. Trans., XLIV. 506. The Merit both of Intaglio’s and Cameo’s.
1757. Keysler, Trav. (1760), II. 27. Two exquisite cammei.
1762–7. H. Walpole, Vertue’s Anecd. Paint. (1786), I. 137. The ring which Henry sent … to Cardinal Wolsey, was a Cameo on a ruby of the king himself.
1791. E. Darwin, Bot. Gard. The bold cameo speaks, the soft intaglio thinks.
1813. Mar. Edgeworth, Patron., I. xvi. 269. A woman’s accomplishment … ought to be … as Dr. South expresses it, more in intaglio than in cameo.
1865. Athenæum, 28 June, 127/3. Cameos and intaglios, ancient and modern.
1871. Miss Yonge (title), Cameos from English History.
1874. Westropp, Precious Stones, 45. Sardonyx … the Occidental variety … for camei.
attrib. 1860. Print. Trades Jrnl., No. 32. 30. The Cameo colour stamping-press.
1863. Kingsley, Water-Bab., v. (1878), 219. Her car of cameo shell.
1883. Glasgow Weekly Her., 5 May, 8/6. Cameo checks in beautiful colourings at 81/2d.
