calamine

en-noun

calamine (usually uncountable, plural calamines)

From French calamine, from Medieval Latin calamīna, from Latin cadmīa, ultimately from Ancient Greek Κᾰδμείᾱ (Kadmeíā), from Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming related substances”). Doublet of cadmia, calaminaris, and lapis calaminaris.

doublet

(mineralogy) Synonym of hemimorphite, an orthorhombic-pyramidal mineral containing zinc.


spodumene

en-noun

spodumene (countable and uncountable, plural spodumenes)

From Ancient Greek σποδούμενος (spodoúmenos, “burnt to ashes”).

der

The individual characters of the several minerals produced from the change of the spodumene have already been given, and something has been said as to their mutual relations;[…].

1880, George J. Brush, Edward S. Dana, Art. XXIX.—On the Mineral Locality At Branchville, Connecticut: Fourth Paper. Spodumene and the results of its Alteration: The American Journal of Science, 3rd Series, Vol XX, Nos 115—120, page 276:

Two coexisting spodumenes occurred in sample A, one with high, the other with low, sodium content.

1990, Australian Mineralogist, Volume 5, page 21:

Spodumene alone was found to be too refractory to produce vitrification at cone 11.

2000, Mimi Obstler, Out of the Earth, Into the Fire, American Ceramic Society, page 59:

(mineralogy) The mineral lithium aluminium inosilicate (LiAl(SiO₃)₂), a pyroxene and ore of lithium, sometimes regarded as a gemstone, which may be greenish, yellowish or pinkish in appearance.

spodumeeni

pyroxene mineral, lithium aluminum inosilicate


strontianite

en-noun

strontianite (usually uncountable, plural strontianites)

From Strontian (“a place in Scotland where it was discovered”) + -ite. Coined by Scottish chemist Thomas Charles Hope in 1791.

coin

(mineralogy) A grey or yellowish mineral, SrCO₃, strontium carbonate, that is an ore of strontium.


stishovite

en-noun

stishovite (usually uncountable, plural stishovites)

Named after Russian physicist Sergey Stishov + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A fine-grained mineral, of SiO₂, that is a polymorphic form of quartz formed under very high pressure.


stibnite

en-noun

stibnite (countable and uncountable, plural stibnites)

From Latin stibium, from Ancient Greek στίβι (stíbi), a variant of στίμμι (stímmi).

The eye-paint used from immemorial times in Egypt is usually held to be stibnite.

1955, Robert James Forbes, Studies in Ancient Technology, volume 9, E. J. Brill, page 176:

A grey mineral, Sb₂S₃, that is the main ore of antimony; used in ancient times as the cosmetic kohl.


tetrahedrite

tetrahedrite (countable and uncountable, plural tetrahedrites)

Named for its tetrahedral crystals in 1845.

(mineralogy) A complex ore of copper, a mixed sulfide of copper, iron, zinc, silver and antimony.


nephrite

nephrite (countable and uncountable, plural nephrites)

From Latin lapis nephriticus, via Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos) νεφριτικός (nephritikós), meaning kidney stone, because jade was believed to have cured kidney stones.

(mineralogy) A semi-precious stone, one of the two types of stone commonly referred to as jade (the other being jadeite).


thorianite

thorianite (countable and uncountable, plural thorianites)

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral containing thorium dioxide (ThO₂) plus oxides of uranium, lanthanum, cerium neodymium and praseodymium in smaller quantities.


thorite

thorite (countable and uncountable, plural thorites)

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral, composed mostly of thorium silicate (ThSiO₄), along with silicates of uranium and the rare earths.


todorokite

From Japanese 轟 (todoroki, “boom, rumble; sound of thunder”) + -ite, after Todoroki Mine (轟鉱山) in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido where it was discovered.

bor

(mineralogy) A manganese oxide mineral, also containing calcium, barium, potassium, sodium, and sometimes magnesium that is a major constituent of manganese nodules


sphene

en-noun

sphene (countable and uncountable, plural sphenes)

From French sphène, coined by René Just Haüy in 1801, Traité de minéralogie vol. 3 p. 114, after Ancient Greek σφήν (sphḗn, “wedge”).


titanite

titanite (countable and uncountable, plural titanites)

(mineralogy) A mixed calcium and titanium neosilicate, CaTiSiO₅, once known as sphene.


chalchihuitl

chalchihuitl (countable and uncountable, plural chalchihuitls)

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl chalchihuitl.

But such a determinate value is attached to buckskin, eagle and wild turkey feathers, pelts of the Rocky Mountain lion, chalchihuitl, abalone, olivette shells (unpierced), the perforated sea-shell beads, silver necklaces, and other ornaments[…]

1974, Theodore R. Frisbie, quoting John G. Bourke, “Hishi as Money in the Puebloan Southwest”, in The Snake-dance of the Moquis of Arizona, 1884, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 254, in reference to the Hopi, quoted in Collected Papers in Honor of Florence Hawley Ellis, Norman: Hooper Publishing Company, published 1975, page 125:


tremolite

tremolite (countable and uncountable, plural tremolites)

From Tremola San Gottardo in Switzerland, where found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A pale grey/green amphibole mineral, a type of asbestos, that is a mixed calcium and magnesium silicate, with the chemical formula Ca₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂; sometimes used in place of common asbestos.


travertine

travertine (countable and uncountable, plural travertines)

From Italian travertino, earlier tivertino, from Latin tīburtīnus (“Tiburtine”).

[...] imitation travertine, resembling marble, has been used to cover the station exterior, [...].

1941 January, “Notes and News: The Hitler Station in Rome”, in Railway Magazine, page 33:

Halder stopped outside a seven-storey building sheathed in pale travertine marble.

2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 191:

(mineralogy) A light, porous form of concretionary limestone (or calcite) deposited from solution, and sometimes quarried for building.

տրավերտին

form of concretionary limestone or calcite


vesuvianite

vesuvianite (countable and uncountable, plural vesuvianites)

(mineralogy) A yellow, green or brown mineral, a mixed calcium, magnesium and aluminium silicate sometimes used as a gemstone.


uraninite

(mineralogy) Any of several brownish-black forms of uranium dioxide, UO₂, (especially pitchblende) that is the chief ore of uranium; it is isomorphous with thorianite.


greigite

From Joseph W. Greig, American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A magnetic form of iron sulfide, Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂S₄, analogous to magnetite, produced by microorganisms and found in lake sediments; Note: half the iron ions are ferrous and half ferric.


alunite

alunite (countable and uncountable, plural alunites)

From its earlier name aluminilite, given in 1824.

(mineralogy) A gray whitish, water-soluble mineral, potassium aluminium sulphate; the natural source of alum, KAl₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆.


bort

bort (countable and uncountable, plural borts)

1931, Business Week, Issues 82-94, page 25,
Bits that would require 4 to 16 carbonadoes are now set with 40 to 80 borts.

Poor-quality diamond, used for industrial cutting or abrasion; a poorly crystallized diamond.


potassium feldspar

potassium feldspar (plural potassium feldspars)

potassium aluminium silicate
potassium aluminium silicate

(mineralogy) Any of several alkaline feldspars containing potassium aluminium silicate, KAlSi₃O₈


wavellite

wavellite (countable and uncountable, plural wavellites)

Named after British naturalist Dr. William Wavell (1750–1829), who discovered the mineral, + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A hydrated aluminium phosphate, Al₃(PO₄)₂(OH,F)₃·5H₂O, sometimes mined as a source of phosphorus.


willemite

en-noun

willemite (countable and uncountable, plural willemites)

In honour of Willem I, king of the Netherlands, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, anhydrous zinc silicate, Zn₂SiO₄, that is a minor ore of zinc.


witherite

witherite (countable and uncountable, plural witherites)

After the English physician and mineralogist William Withering (1741-1799) in 1790.

(mineralogy) A yellow-grey mineral form of barium carbonate, BaCO₃


wurtzite

wurtzite (countable and uncountable, plural wurtzites)

From Wurtz + -ite, for Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, French chemist.

(mineralogy) A dark brown zinc iron sulfide mineral ((Zn,Fe)S), a form of sphalerite.


wulfenite

wulfenite (countable and uncountable, plural wulfenites)

From Wulfen + -ite, for Austrian mineralogist Franz Xavier von Wulfen (1728-1805), named in 1841.

(mineralogy) An orange mineral, lead molybdate, PbMoO₄, found in lead veins.


wollastonite

wollastonite (countable and uncountable, plural wollastonites)

From Wollaston + -ite, after William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist.

(mineralogy) A grey inosilicate mineral, mostly calcium silicate, CaSiO₃, found deposited in limestone.


fiorite

(mineralogy) A variety of opal occurring in the cavities of volcanic tuff, having a pearly lustre and forming botryoidal masses.


acanthite

Named in 1855, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha, “thorn”) + -ite, because of the crystal shapes.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of silver sulfide, Ag₂S, that is a major ore of silver, that forms slender prisms.


opaline

opaline (countable and uncountable, plural opalines)

(mineralogy) Any of several minerals resembling opal, including a variety of yellow chalcedony.


amblygonite

amblygonite (countable and uncountable, plural amblygonites)

From Ancient Greek ἀμβλύς (amblús, “blunt, dull”) + γωνία (gōnía, “angle, corner”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) A mineral, a mixed fluoride and aluminophosphate of sodium and lithium that is an important ore of lithium.

amblygoniitti

a mineral that is an important ore of lithium


analcite

en-noun

analcite (countable and uncountable, plural analcites)


analcime

analcime (countable and uncountable, plural analcimes)

Named in 1801 after the property of attaining weak electricity when heated or subjected to friction; from the Ancient Greek ἀνάλκιμος (análkimos, “weak”).

derived

(mineralogy) A sodium aluminosilicate with a chemical formula NaAlSi₂O₆·H₂O, having a zeolite structure, found in alkaline basalts.


andalusite

en-noun

andalusite (countable and uncountable, plural andalusites)

From Andalusia + -ite, after the erroneous belief that it was from Andalusia.

(mineralogy) An aluminium nesosilicate mineral, Al₂SiO₅, which can be cut into a gem and displays strong pleochroism, shifting between red, green, and yellow.


anorthoclase

anorthoclase (countable and uncountable, plural anorthoclases)

(mineralogy) Any of a group of feldspars being mixed sodium and potassium aluminosilicates.


ankerite

After the Austrian mineralogist Matthias Joseph Anker (1771-1843) in 1825 + -ite.

In this second excavation the red ore is more largely mixed with the micaceous specular variety, and also includes large rounded blocks of ankerite and angular fragments of rock.

1855, John William Dawson, Acadian geology:

(mineralogy) Any of a group of mixed carbonate minerals, principally of calcium with iron, magnesium and manganese.

ankeriitti

any of a group of mixed carbonate minerals


anglesite

anglesite (countable and uncountable, plural anglesites)

After the place Anglesey in Wales, in 1832.

A curious form of anglesite was noticed in a specimen from Durango, Iowa

1862, Sir Edward Cadogan, Before the Deluge: Memories and Reflections:

(mineralogy) A crystalline mineral form of lead sulfate, PbSO₄, formed by the weathering of galena.


anthophyllite

anthophyllite (countable and uncountable, plural anthophyllites)

Anthophyllite is of a brownish colour, and glistening, pearly, pseudo-metallic lustre; it occurs massive, the mass consisting of crystals or crystalline fibres often disposed in a radiating form.

1823, William Phillips, An Elementary Introduction to the Knowledge of Mineralogy:

(mineralogy) A dark brown amphibole mineral; a mixed silicate of iron and magnesium.


apophyllite

(mineralogy) Any of several forms of a pale pink or green mineral being a mixed fluoride and silicate of potassium and calcium.


arsenopyrite

arsenopyrite (countable and uncountable, plural arsenopyrites)

(mineralogy) A silvery-grey ore of arsenic, a mixed arsenide and sulfide of iron, FeAsS.


brookite

brookite (countable and uncountable, plural brookites)

From Brooke + -ite, named in 1825 for English crystallographer Henry James Brooke.

(mineralogy) A dark brown mineral form of titanium dioxide, with the chemical formula TiO₂.


ilmenite

ilmenite (countable and uncountable, plural ilmenites)

Named after Ilmen Mountains in Russia + -ite in 1827.

The basalt of Goose Island of the Ice Harbor Member is unique for the occurrence of microphenocrysts of ilmenite and titanmagnetite.

1983, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, page 9:

(mineralogy) A weakly magnetic dark gray mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks; it is a mixed oxide of iron and titanium, FeTiO₃


biopyribole

(mineralogy) Any of the rock-forming minerals pyroxene, amphibole, and mica.

biopyriboli

any of the rock-forming minerals pyroxene, amphibole, and mica


vanadinite

vanadinite (countable and uncountable, plural vanadinites)

(mineralogy) A reddish mineral, a mixed chloride and vanadate of lead with the chemical formula Pb₅(VO₄)₃Cl, that is commercial source of vanadium.


biotite

biotite (countable and uncountable, plural biotites)

From Biot + -ite, named by J.F.L. Hausmann in 1847 in honour of the French physicist Jean-Baptiste Biot, who, in 1816, researched the optical properties of mica, discovering many unique properties.

(mineralogy) A dark brown mica; it is a mixed aluminosilicate and fluoride of potassium, magnesium and iron.

Jean-Baptiste Biot
Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann
biotite


boracite

(mineralogy) A mixed chloride and borate of magnesium that occurs as a white to green crystalline evaporite, with the chemical formula Mg₃B₇O₁₃Cl.


glaucophane

glaucophane (countable and uncountable, plural glaucophanes)

(mineralogy) A blue amphibole mineral, a mixed aluminate of sodium, magnesium and aluminium that exhibits pleochroism, with the chemical formula Na₂(Mg,Fe²⁺)₃Al₂Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂.


brucite

From Bruce + -ite, after its discoverer, American mineralogist Archibald Bruce (1777–1818).

magnesium hydroxide
magnesium hydroxide#English

(mineralogy) A mineral form of magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)₂, often found in thin foliated plates, but may be fibrous (see nemalite), of a white or greenish color and vitreous to pearly luster.


bornite

From Born + -ite, named after Austrian mineralogist Ignaz von Born.

(mineralogy) A reddish mineral that tarnishes on exposure to air; it is a mixed sulfide of iron and copper with the chemical formula Cu₅FeS and is an important ore of copper.


caliche

caliche (countable and uncountable, plural caliches)

From Spanish caliche, from Latin calx (“pebble”); compare chalk.

(mineralogy) A crude form of sodium nitrate from South America; used as a fertilizer.


cancrinite

(mineralogy) Any of a family of feldspathoid minerals that are mixed carbonates and aluminosilicates of sodium and calcium.


carnotite

carnotite (countable and uncountable, plural carnotites)

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral that is a potassium uranyl vanadate that is a major ore of uranium, with the chemical formula K₂(UO₂)₂(VO₄)₂·3H₂O.


cassiterite

cassiterite (countable and uncountable, plural cassiterites)

From Ancient Greek κασσίτερος (kassíteros, “tin”).

der

In general, the hydroxamates are used for flotation of oxidic minerals (pyrochlore, cassiterite and ilmenite), rare-earth oxides and oxide copper minerals.

2007, Srdjan M. Bulatovic, Handbook of Flotation Reagents: Chemistry, Theory and Practice, →ISBN, page 13:

(mineralogy) A generally black mineral, composed of tin oxide, SnO₂, which is an important ore of tin.


cerargyrite

en-noun

cerargyrite (usually uncountable, plural cerargyrites)

(mineralogy) A mineral form of silver chloride, AgCl, that is a rare ore of silver; horn silver.


cerussite

cerussite (countable and uncountable, plural cerussites)

From Latin cērussa (“white lead”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of lead carbonate, PbCO₃, that is an ore of lead.


chabazite

From French chabasie, coined by Louis-Augustin Bosc d'Antic from Ancient Greek χαβάζιος (khabázios), apparently an error for χαλάζιος (khalázios, “a kind of precious stone”) (which is probably from χάλαζα (khálaza, “hail”), due to looking like a hailstone), one of twenty species of stones mentioned in the poem ascribed to Orpheus. See chalaza and chalazion.

(mineralogy) Any of several zeolite minerals that occur in basaltic rocks.


sarkinite

(mineralogy) A red, crystalline form of manganese arsenate, Mn₂²⁺(AsO₄)(OH); polyarsenite.


prase

prase (countable and uncountable, plural prases)

From Latin prasius, from Ancient Greek πράσιος (prásios, “of a green colour”), from Ancient Greek πράσον (práson, “leek”).

der

(mineralogy) A variety of cryptocrystalline of a green colour.

(mineralogy) A variety of chalcedony, with a green color due to inclusions of actinolite or other iron-bearing minerals.


alabandite

en-noun

alabandite (usually uncountable, plural alabandites)

(mineralogy) A mineral form of manganese sulfide, MnS, sometimes found in meteorites


vulcanite

vulcanite (countable and uncountable, plural vulcanites)

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, copper telluride.


sunstone

sunstone (countable and uncountable, plural sunstones)

sun + stone. Compare Icelandic sólarsteinn.

(mineralogy) A translucent form of feldspar having flakes of hematite, used as an ornamental stone.

κεραύνιος

a translucent form of feldspar with flakes of hematite


chalcanthite

chalcanthite (usually uncountable, plural chalcanthites)

[kʰæɫ(l)ˈkʰæn.θʌɪt̚]

[kæwˈkæn.θɒ͡ɪʔ]

[kʰæɫˈkʰɛ͡ən.θʌɪt̚]

From chalcanthum (“flowers of copper”) + -ite, from Ancient Greek χάλκανθον (khálkanthon).

(mineralogy) A mineral form of copper sulfate, CuSO₄.


chalcopyrite

From chalco- (“copper, ore”) + pyrite. Named by Johann Friedrich Henckel 1725.

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral that is a mixed sulfide of copper and iron, with the chemical formula CuFeS₂.


chloritoid

chloritoid (countable and uncountable, plural chloritoids)

(mineralogy) A mixed iron, magnesium, and manganese silicate mineral of metamorphic origin, with the chemical formula (Fe²⁺,Mg,Mn)₂Al₄Si₂O₁₀(OH)₄.


chrysocolla

chrysocolla (countable and uncountable, plural chrysocollas)

/ˌkɹɪs.əʊˈkɒl.ə/

(mineralogy) A vitreous silicate mineral that is a minor ore of copper, with the chemical formula (Cu²⁺,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O.


chrysotile

chrysotile (countable and uncountable, plural chrysotiles)

(mineralogy) A fibrous silicate mineral with the chemical formula Mg₃(Si₂O₅)(OH)₄; a form of serpentine asbestos.


chromite

chromite (countable and uncountable, plural chromites)

(mineralogy) A dark brown mineral species with the formula FeCr₂O₄.


chrysoberyl

chrysoberyl (countable and uncountable, plural chrysoberyls)

/ˈkɹɪs.əˌbɛɹ.əl/

From Latin chrysoberyllus, from Ancient Greek χρῡσοβήρυλλος (khrūsobḗrullos, “gold beryl”), from χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) after its color, and βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

derived

χρῡσοβήρυλλος

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.

2012 March 14, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A vitreous mineral, often pale green, a mixed oxide of aluminium and beryllium with the chemical formula BeAl₂O₄, used as a gemstone.


cobaltite

en-noun

cobaltite (countable and uncountable, plural cobaltites)

(mineralogy) A rare gray mineral, a mixed sulfide and arsenide of cobalt and iron with chemical formula CoAsS; it is an ore of cobalt.


coccolith

From Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “kernel”) + -lith.

(mineralogy) Alternative form of coccolite (“diopside”)


coesite

coesite (countable and uncountable, plural coesites)

(mineralogy) A high-pressure polymorph of silica found in extreme conditions such as the impact craters of meteorites, with the chemical composition of silicon dioxide, SiO₂.


colemanite

colemanite (countable and uncountable, plural colemanites)

From Coleman + -ite, named after William Tell Coleman (1824-1893) in 1884.

(mineralogy) A white, grey or colorless mineral form of calcium borate; a principal source of boron.


jadarite

After the Jadar Basin in Serbia, where it was discovered during mineral explorations.

(mineralogy) A mineral, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide.


columbite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is a mixed iron and manganese niobate and tantalate, and is the main ore of niobium and tantalum.


amygdaloid

amygdaloid (countable and uncountable, plural amygdaloids)

From Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē, “almond”) + -oid.

uder

A variety of trap or basaltic rock, containing small cavities, occupied, wholly or in part, by nodules or geodes of different minerals, especially agates, quartz, calcite, and the zeolites. When the imbedded minerals are detached or removed by decomposition, it is porous, like lava.


sardius

en-noun

sardius (usually uncountable, plural sardiuses)

The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Revelation 21:20:


chrysolite

chrysolite (countable and uncountable, plural chrysolites)

From Middle English crisolite, from Old French crisolite, from Medieval Latin crisolitus, Latin chrȳsolithus, from Ancient Greek χρῡσόλιθος (khrūsólithos), from χρῡσός (khrūsós, “gold”) + λίθος (líthos, “stone”). By surface analysis, chryso- (“pertaining to gold”) + -lite (“pertaining to rocks, minerals”).

surf

Fran. Rueus[…]say as much of the chrysolite, a friend of wisdome, an enemy to folly.

1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 4, member 1, subsection iii:

And before he died, Taran-Ish had scrawled upon the altar of chrysolite with coarse shaky strokes the sign of DOOM.

1920, H. P. Lovecraft, The Doom that Came to Sarnath:

A piece of marigold or bay leaf was imbedded in the metal, and over it a carbuncle or chrysolite was placed.

1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 155:

(mineralogy) Originally, any of various green-coloured gems; later specifically peridot.


covellite

en-noun

covellite (countable and uncountable, plural covellites)

Named after Italian mineralogist Niccolo Covelli (1790–1829) + -ite.

named-after

(mineralogy) A shiny indigo-blue sulfide mineral, CuS, that is an ore of copper.


crocoite

en-noun

crocoite (usually uncountable, plural crocoites)

(mineralogy) A rare red mineral; lead chromate, PbCrO₄.


polyadelphite

(mineralogy) A pale brown andradite garnet


ferrocolumbite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is an ore of niobium and tantalum.


lepidolite

lepidolite (countable and uncountable, plural lepidolites)

From Ancient Greek λεπίς (lepís) + -lite.

(mineralogy) A pale lilac mica mineral that is a mixed basic fluoride and aluminosilicate of potassium, lithium and aluminium.


euxenite

euxenite (countable and uncountable, plural euxenites)

From Ancient Greek εὔξενος (eúxenos, “friendly to strangers, hospitable”) + -ite.

uder

(mineralogy) A dark brown lustrous mineral that is a mixed oxide of cerium, erbium, titanium, uranium, yttrium and other more common metals, with the chemical formula (Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)₂O₆.


perthite

en-noun

perthite (countable and uncountable, plural perthites)

(mineralogy) A laminated mixture of two feldspars: plagioclase and either orthoclase or microcline.


spessartine

spessartine (countable and uncountable, plural spessartines)

(mineralogy) A type of garnet, a neosilicate of manganese and aluminium with the chemical formula Mn₃²⁺Al₂(SiO₄)₃.


propylite

propylite (countable and uncountable, plural propylites)

(mineralogy) A form of andesite modified by hydrothermal processes.


salite

Named for type locality Sala, Sweden, + -ite.


kassite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral that is a basic oxide of calcium and titanium, with the chemical formula CaTi₂O₄(OH)₂.


hematite

hematite (usually uncountable, plural hematites)

From Middle French hematite, from Latin (lapis) haematites, from Ancient Greek αἱματίτης (haimatítēs) λίθος (líthos, “blood-red stone”), from αἷμα (haîma, “blood”). By surface analysis, hemat- + -ite.

Coordinate term: magnetite

(mineralogy) An iron ore, mainly peroxide of iron, Fe₂O₃: iron(III) oxide.


phyllosilicate

phyllosilicate (usually uncountable, plural phyllosilicates)

(mineralogy) Any silicate mineral having a crystal structure of parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra.


smectite

smectite (countable and uncountable, plural smectites)

From Ancient Greek σμήχω (smḗkhō, “to rub off”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) Any of many clay phyllosilicate minerals that have a relatively open structure.


scorza

(mineralogy, obsolete) epidote in the form of sand


candite

From Candy + -ite, from an old name for Kandy, Sri Lanka, where it was found.


bertrandite

From Bertrand + -ite, named after French mineralogist Émile Bertrand (1844-1909) in 1883.

(mineralogy) A basic beryllium sorosilicate that is an ore of beryllium.


leucoxene

en-noun

leucoxene (usually uncountable, plural leucoxenes)

(mineralogy) A mineral, mostly composed of rutile, occurring in igneous rocks, often by alteration of ilmenite or other titanium minerals


gadolinite

gadolinite (countable and uncountable, plural gadolinites)

After the Finnish chemist Johan Gadolin (1760-1852), + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dark, vitreous mineral that is a complex mixture of silicates of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, beryllium, and iron, with the chemical formula (Ce,La,Nd,Y)₂FeBe₂Si₂O₁₀.


mellite

mellite (countable and uncountable, plural mellites)

From Latin mell-, stem of mel (“honey”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral that is the aluminium salt of mellitic acid; honeystone.


samarskite

samarskite (countable and uncountable, plural samarskites)

After Vasilii Evgrafovich Samarsky-Bykhovets in 1847.

(mineralogy) A shiny black radioactive mineral that contains a complex mixture of rare earth oxides


bastnaesite

From Bastnäs + -ite. Named after its type locality, the Bastnäs mine near Riddarhyttan, Västmanland, Sweden.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral that is a source of several rare earth metals, especially gadolinium, samarium, and neodymium.


castellite

From Castelli + -ite, from the surname of its discoverer, Herr Bergverwalter Castelli.

A clear yellow form of the crystalline mineral titanite or sphene, occurring in very small, thin, tubular crystals.


xenotite

(mineralogy) A mineral that is a source of rare earth metals.


xenotime

xenotime (countable and uncountable, plural xenotimes)

From Ancient Greek κενός (kenós, “vain”), τιμή (timḗ, “honour”), because the yttrium in the mineral was originally thought to be a new element.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral, yttrium phosphate (YPO₄)


allanite

(mineralogy) Any of a group of silicate minerals that are a source of rare earth metals.

allaniitti

any of a group of silicate minerals that are a source of rare earth metals


moonstone

moonstone (countable and uncountable, plural moonstones)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-moonstone.wav

(mineralogy) A translucent gemstone, an orthoclase feldspar, that has a pearly lustre.


vivianite

vivianite (countable and uncountable, plural vivianites)

Named after its discoverer English mineralogist J. G. Vivian in 1817.

(mineralogy) A blue, green or colourless mineral of monoclinic crystals, Fe₃(PO₄)₂·8H₂O.


antimonite

antimonite (countable and uncountable, plural antimonites)

(mineralogy) A grey mineral, antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) that is the main source of antimony; stibnite

antimoniitti

a grey mineral that is the main source of antimony


tellurite

Named in 1849 because of its chemical composition.

(mineralogy) A yellowish mineral, tellurium dioxide (TeO₂).


celestine

celestine (countable and uncountable, plural celestines)

From Italian celestina (“sky-blue”), from Latin caelestīnus, &c.

(mineralogy) A mineral with orthorhombic crystals, SrSO₄, colourless or white with blue and sometimes red shades.


ulexite

Named after the German chemist Georg Ludwig Ulex (1811-1883) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A white mineral with triclinic crystals, NaCaB₅O₉·8H₂O, noted for its fibers which transmit light by internal reflection, such that a piece with flat faces perpendicular to the fibers' orientation displays an image of whatever is adjacent to its other side.


ferropericlase

(mineralogy) Any of a class of minerals, mixed oxides of magnesium and iron, that are abundant in the earth's lower mantle (second only to perovskite)


pseudotachylite

(mineralogy) A dark, glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults

pseudotakyliitti

a dark, glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults


maghemite

After the beginnings of magnetite and hematite in 1927, because of magnetism and similar arrangement of elements.

(mineralogy) A magnetic mineral with a grey blue, white, or brown shade.


fayalite

fayalite (countable and uncountable, plural fayalites)

From Fayal (“Faial Island in the Azores”) + -ite. Named in 1840.

suffix

(mineralogy) Yellow, olive green, brown or black mineral with orthorhombic crystals of the olivine group, Fe₂SiO₄.


hawaiite

(mineralogy) A gem variety of olivine peridot.


gibbsite

en-noun

gibbsite (countable and uncountable, plural gibbsites)

From Gibbs + -ite after George Gibbs (1777-1834) in 1822.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, usually white but can have different colors, Al(OH)₃.


aerinite

(mineralogy) A blue mineral with monoclinic crystals, Ca₄(Al,Fe³⁺,Mg, Fe²⁺)₁₀Si₁₂O₃₅(OH)₁₂CO₃·12H₂O, made of clay and sometimes used as pigment.


autunite

autunite (countable and uncountable, plural autunites)

From Autun + -ite, after Autun, France, near which it was discovered in 1852.

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral with tetragonal crystals, Ca(UO₂)₂(PO₄)₂·10-12H₂O.


stichtite

After Robert Sticht (1856-1922), the manager of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Co. in Australia, in 1910.

(mineralogy) A mineral with rhombohedral crystals, often pink or lilac, Mg₆Cr₂CO₃(OH)₁₆·4H₂O.


sugilite

After Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948) in 1976.

(mineralogy) A mineral with hexagonal crystals, often pink or purple but can have different colors, KNa₂(Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺,Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀.


ozocerite

ozocerite (countable and uncountable, plural ozocerites)

(mineralogy) A dark waxy mineral, found associated with petroleum in some sandstones, used to make polishes.


jarosite

jarosite (countable and uncountable, plural jarosites)

After the place Jaroso ravine in Spain, named in 1852.

(mineralogy) A mineral with rhombohedral crystals, KFe₃³⁺(SO₄)₂(OH)₆.


zinkenite

zinkenite (usually uncountable, plural zinkenites)

After German mineralogist J. K. L. Zinken (1798-1862), named in 1862.

(mineralogy) A grey mineral with hexagonal crystals, Pb₉Sb₂₂S₄₂.


zoisite

Named after Austrian scientist Baron Sigmund Zois von Edelstein (1747-1819) in 1805. + -ite

(mineralogy) A mineral with orthorhombic crystals, Ca₂Al₃(SiO₄)(Si₂O₇)O(OH).


blende

blende (countable and uncountable, plural blendes)

From German Blende, from blenden (“deceive”) (because it resembles galena).

The procedure up here with ordinary local zinc blende had been straightforward—first you got the sulfur to go off by roasting the blende to zinc oxide, and then you reduced the oxide to zinc metal.

2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage, published 2007, page 310:

(mineralogy) sphalerite (a naturally-occurring sulfide of zinc)


zeunerite

After German physicist Gustav Anton Zeuner (1828-1907) in 1872.

(mineralogy) A mineral with tetragonal crystals, of the autunite group, Cu²⁺(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂·4H₂O.


table salt

table salt (countable and uncountable, plural table salts)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-table salt.wav

Sodium chloride, the salt most commonly used to season food at the table.


polyargyrite

(mineralogy) A black mineral that is a sulfide of antimony and silver


black lead

black lead (countable and uncountable, plural black leads)

In the sense of lead, calque of Latin plumbum nigrum (“lead”, literally “black lead”).

clq

Graphite, especially as used in pencils.


heulandite

en-noun

heulandite (countable and uncountable, plural heulandites)

From Heuland + -ite after British mineral collector John Henry Heuland (1778-1856).

(mineralogy) A common mineral of the zeolite group with monoclinic crystals, the most usual form being heulandite-Ca (Ca,Na)₂₋₃Al₃(Al,Si)₂Si₁₃O₃₆·12H₂O.


quartzine

quartzine (countable and uncountable, plural quartzines)

(mineralogy) A fibrous form of silica similar to chalcedony.


chassignite

(mineralogy) An achondrite composed mostly of olivine


chatoyant

/ʃəˈtɔɪ.ənt/

From French chatoyant, present participle of chatoyer (“to iridesce, like a cat's eye”), from chat (“cat”, because of the reflective qualities of a cat's eye).

(mineralogy) A hard stone, such as the cat's-eye, which presents on a polished surface, and in the interior, an undulating or wavy light.


zirconite

(mineralogy) A light brown variety of zircon.


almandine

almandine (countable and uncountable, plural almandines)

Alteration of earlier alabandine, from Latin alabandina, from Alabanda, a town in Caria, a province of Asia Minor, where the mineral was found.

Almandine, the variety found here, is stable at temperatures of 540 to 900°C at a pressure of 200 GPa.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 164:

(mineralogy) A type of garnet having a deep red color, inclining to purple, with the chemical formula Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃.


wadsleyite

wadsleyite (usually uncountable, plural wadsleyites)

From Wadsley + -ite, named after geologist Dr. Arthur David Wadsley.

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic form of olivine produced under very high pressure


ringwoodite

(mineralogy) A cubic form of olivine produced under very high pressure, (Mg, Fe²⁺)₂SiO₄.


claudetite

A mineral composed of arsenic trioxide, chemical formula As₂O₃.


californite

californite (countable and uncountable, plural californites)

(mineralogy) A green vesuvianite found in California, resembling jade and used as a gemstone.


aegirine

aegirine (countable and uncountable, plural aegirines)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals with the chemical formula NaFe³⁺(Si₂O₆) belonging to the pyroxene group.


cordierite

cordierite (countable and uncountable, plural cordierites)

(mineralogy) A magnesium iron aluminium cyclosilicate.


nesosilicate

From Ancient Greek νῆσος (nêsos, “island”) + silicate.


andradite

A nesosilicate mineral of the garnet group with chemical formula Ca₃Fe₂Si₃O₁₂.


augelite

augelite (usually uncountable, plural augelites)

From Ancient Greek αὐγή (augḗ, “luster”), named in 1868.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals of the chemical formula Al₂(PO₄)(OH)₃.


actinolite

actinolite (countable and uncountable, plural actinolites)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals of the chemical formula Ca₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂, belonging to the amphibole group.

aktinoliet

mineral with monoclinic crystals belonging to the amphibole group


majorite

(mineralogy) A silicate of magnesium, iron and aluminium, found in the upper mantle of the Earth, that stores oxygen when under intense pressure


zinnwaldite

From Zinnwald + -ite, after what is now Cínovec.

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, KLiFe²⁺Al(AlSi₃)O₁₀(F,OH)₂, of the mica group.


mozarkite

Missouri + Ozarks + -ite (because the Missouri Ozarks were the primary source); appeared in print 1837.

(mineralogy) A particular kind of rock, a form of chert, native to Missouri.


ajoite

Named after the type locality: New Cornelia mine in Ajo, Arizona, USA
Ajo + -ite

(mineralogy) A turquoise mineral with triclinic crystals, (K,Na)Cu₇²⁺AlSi₉O₂₄(OH)₆·3H₂O.


mesolite

mesolite (countable and uncountable, plural mesolites)

(mineralogy) A mineral with monoclinic crystals, Na₂Ca₂Al₆Si₉O₃₀·8H₂O, of the zeolite group.


aluminocopiapite

(mineralogy) A form of copiapite containing varying amounts of aluminium in place of ferric iron.


copiapite

(mineralogy) A basic ferric sulfate mineral found in oxidized iron sulfide deposits, with the chemical formula Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₄(SO₄)₆(OH)₂·20H₂O.


osumilite

osumilite (countable and uncountable, plural osumilites)

A hexagonal mineral with the chemical formula (K,Na)(Mg,Fe⁺²)₂(Al,Fe)₃(Si,Al)₁₂O₃₀·H₂O.


sogdianite

A mineral of the osumilite group: (K,Na)₂Li₂(Li,Fe,Al)₂ZrSi₁₂O₃₀


missy

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-missy.wav


smaltite

smaltite (usually uncountable, plural smaltites)

(mineralogy) A variety of skutterudite with the chemical formula (Co,Fe,Ni)As₂, crystallizing in the cubic system.


crocidolite

From Ancient Greek κροκῠ́ς (krokús, “nap of cloth/wool”) and λίθος (líthos, “stone”), for its appearance.

uder

(mineralogy) A fibrous, blue-green mineral that is a variety of riebeckite and is one of the six types of asbestos.


perlite

(mineralogy) An amorphous volcanic glass formed by the hydration of obsidian.


polylithionite

(mineralogy) A phyllosilicate mineral composed of potassium lithium aluminum silicate fluoride


polymignyte

en-noun

polymignyte (countable and uncountable, plural polymignytes)

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting of columbate (a compound containing the element niobium) and oxides of the cerium group of elements with iron and calcium.


akageneite

(mineralogy) A hydrated iron oxide related to hematite.


ferripyrophyllite

(mineralogy) The ferric iron analogue of pyrophyllite.


greenalite

(mineralogy) A hydrated ferrous silicate related to serpentine.


lepidocrocite

lepidocrocite (countable and uncountable, plural lepidocrocites)


glauconite

(mineralogy) A greenish form of mica found in greensand


grunerite

grunerite (countable and uncountable, plural grunerites)

(mineralogy) An iron-rich amphibole related to cummingtonite.


ilvaite

(mineralogy) A black, crystalline sorosilicate of iron and calcium


goethite

goethite (countable and uncountable, plural goethites)

From German Goethit, named for German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; by surface analysis, Goethe + -ite.

Recent work has shown that the teeth of limpets approximate to an almost ideal model natural composite material where high aspect ratio mineral nanofibres of goethite reinforce a protein matrix.

2015 February 18, Asa H. Barber, Dun Lu, Nicola M. Pugno, “Extreme strength observed in limpet teeth”, in Journal of the Royal Society Interface:

(mineralogy) An iron oxyhydroxide that is the main constituent of rust and in mineral form is an ore.

goethita

an iron oxyhydroxide that is the main constituent of rust


laihunite

(mineralogy) An iron neosilicate of the olivine group


minnesotaite

minnesotaite (usually uncountable, plural minnesotaites)

(mineralogy) An iron magnesium silicate of the talc group


orthoferrosilite

(mineralogy) An iron silicate that crystallizes as an orthorhombic pyroxene


nontronite

nontronite (countable and uncountable, plural nontronites)

Nontronite, a variety of chloropal occurs as a light yellow powder in druses of the North Conway granite (99, p. 312).

1969, T. R. Meyers, The Geology of New Hampshire: Minerals and mines, page 18:

(mineralogy) An iron-rich clay mineral of the montmorillonite group


staurolite

From stauro- + -lite, in reference to its frequent cruciform twinning.

(mineralogy) a dark brown nesosilicate mineral that has crystals that cross and intergrow


tetrataenite

(mineralogy) The tetragonal crystalline form of taenite


thuringite

(mineralogy) A hydrous silicate of iron and aluminium occurring as an aggregation of minute olive-green scales


steatite

steatite (countable and uncountable, plural steatites)

From Latin steatītis, from Ancient Greek. By surface analysis, steat- (“fat”) + -ite (“stone”).

surf

Though a certain kind of paper is manufactured from bamboo pulp, the usual material of the books is the palm leaf, while for ordinary notebook purposes a kind of black tablet, called a parabeik, and a steatite pencil are employed.

1876, "Burmah" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 556

(mineralogy) soapstone (often synonymous; more information at soapstone § Terminology).


taenite

(mineralogy) A mineral, found in certain meteorites, that is a magnetic alloy of iron and nickel


orthopyroxene

/ˌɔːθə(ʊ)paɪˈɹɒksiːn/

/ˌɔɹθoʊpaɪˈɹɑksin/

Biotite from lava flows is invariably rimmed or totally replaced by an exceedingly fine-grained, almost isotropic intergrowth of K-feldspar, orthopyroxene, cordierite and ilmenite, probably as a result of dehydration of the magma on eruption. Cordierite and orthopyroxene (5% each) occur as euhedral phenocrysts 1 to 2 mm in diameter, but cordierite can be up to 5 mm across and occur as anhedral ovoids.

1981 November 10, D. Wyborn, B. W. Chappell, R. M. Johnston, “Three S‐Type Volcanic Suites from the Lachlan Fold Belt, Southeast Australia”, in Journal of Geophysical Research, volume 86, number B11, →DOI, →ISSN, page 10337:

The meteorite contains abundant, distinct to poorly defined chondrules (about 40 volume %). They are enclosed in a recrystallised, heavily iron-stained, but coherent matrix of irregular fragments of olivine and orthopyroxene, together with fragmented chrondrules and small grains and interstitial areas of oligoclase.

1998, William D. Birch, “The Broken Hill Meteorite, New South Wales, Australia”, in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, volume 131, →ISSN, page 96:

However, the relatively low Al₂O₃ content of the co-existing orthopyroxenes (2.2 wt%) is not consistent with an upper mantle origin (Binns et al. 1970) and therefore probably crystallised at crustal pressures.

2011, M. C. Bruce, “Geodiversity of the Southern Barrington Tops Lava Field, New South Wales: A Study in Petrology and Geochemistry”, in M. L. Augee, editor, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, volume 132, page 59:

(mineralogy) Any pyroxene that forms orthorhombic crystals.


attapulgite

en-noun

attapulgite (countable and uncountable, plural attapulgites)

(mineralogy) A clay mineral containing silicates of aluminium and magnesium that is a constituent of fuller's earth and bentonite.


patronite

patronite (countable and uncountable, plural patronites)

(mineralogy) A black form of vanadium sulfide that is an ore of vanadium


rock salt

rock salt (countable and uncountable, plural rock salts)

Farther to the southward, the rivers which are affluent to the Colorado, such as the Rio Virgen, and Gila river, near their mouths, are impregnated with salt by the cliffs of rock salt between which they pass.

1845, J[ohn] C[harles] Frémont, Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and North California in the Years 1843-’44, Washington: Gales and Seaton, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 158:


ozarkite

First named in print by Charles Upham Shepard in 1846, after The Ozarks, Missouri, although it was from the region of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

(mineralogy) Thomsonite, a mineral series of the zeolite group.

(mineralogy, archaic) The mineral mozarkite of the Missouri, Ozark region.


thomsonite

(mineralogy) Ozarkite, a mineral native to the United States.


Mozarkite

Did you know that Mozarkite, with its pretty pink and purple swirls is our state rock?

2010, Judy Young, S is for Show Me: A Missouri Alphabet, →ISBN:

Our state rock is Mozarkite.

2010, Ross Malone, Tales from Missouri and the Heartland, →ISBN, page 137:

Because it comes in colors ranging from green to red to purple, Mozarkite is often used in jewelry.

2011, Carole Marsh, My First Pocket Guide About Missouri, →ISBN, page 17:

(mineralogy) Alternative spelling of mozarkite


geyserite

(mineralogy) A type of stone, a mixture of quartz and opal deposited by a geyser as it precipitates out of the boiling water.


arfvedsonite

arfvedsonite (countable and uncountable, plural arfvedsonites)

Named for Swedish chemist Johan August Arfwedson (1792-1841)

(mineralogy) A rare sodium amphibole mineral.


kidney ore

kidney ore (countable and uncountable, plural kidney ores)

(mineralogy) Hematite in a reniform habit.


duporthite

Named after Duporth (a town in Cornwall, England, where this mineral occurred) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare asbestiform mineral, a mixture of talc and chlorite.


javaite

javaite (countable and uncountable, plural javaites)

From Java + -ite, from its outcrop on the Indonesian island of Java.

(mineralogy) A tektite found on and around the island of Java.


jasperoid

(mineralogy) A rare dense siliceous rock similar in appearance to chert.


sericite

sericite (countable and uncountable, plural sericites)

(mineralogy) A fine-grained mica found in metamorphic rocks


moganite

(mineralogy) A crystalline form of silica that has a different crystal structure than that of quartz


gunningite

Dr Henry Cecil Gunning (1901-1991), + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral in the kieserite group, having the chemical formula (Zn,Mn²⁺)SO₄·H₂O.


chondrodite

(mineralogy) A nesosilicate mineral with chemical formula (Mg,Fe)₅(F,OH)₂(SiO₄)₂, the most frequently encountered member of the humite group.


zippeite

zippeite (countable and uncountable, plural zippeites)

F X M Zippe, Prague mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrous potassium uranium sulfate mineral with chemical formula K₄(UO₂)₆(SO₄)₃(OH)₁₀·4(H₂O), forming yellow to reddish-brown monoclinic-prismatic crystals with perfect cleavage and formerly used in the manufacture of paint.


zykaite

From the name of Dr. Vaclav Zyka, Czech geochemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dull, soft, translucent greyish-white mineral consisting of arsenic, hydrogen, iron, sulfur and oxygen.


magnesioferrite

(mineralogy) A magnesium iron oxide mineral, a member of the magnetite series of spinels, which forms black metallic octahedral crystals.


clarkeite

Frank Wigglesworth Clarke (1847-1931), American mineral chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A uranium oxide mineral of variable composition and uncertain structure, its colour varying from dark brown to orange.


zanazziite

From Zanazzi + -ite, after P. F. Zanazzi, Italian professor of mineralogy.

(mineralogy) A complex phosphate with the chemical formula Ca₂(Mg,Fe)(Mg,Fe,Mn,Al)₄Be₄(OH)₄(PO₄)₆·6H₂O, having a pale to dark olive-green colour.


zussmanite

zussmanite (usually uncountable, plural zussmanites)

Jack Zussman, geology professor and author, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated iron-rich silicate, found as a pale green crystal with perfect cleavage.


santabarbaraite

From Santa Barbara + -ite. Named after Santa Barbara in Italy, where it was found.

(mineralogy) An amorphous ferric hydroxy phosphate mineral hydrate.


osarizawaite

Named after Osarizawa mine, in Akita Prefecture, Japan, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A greenish-yellow mineral with the chemical formula PbCuAl₂(SO₄)₂(OH)₆, having rhombohedral crystals.


xonotlite

Tetela de Xonotla, Mexico, where it was found, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Ca₆Si₆O₁₇(OH)₂, found in various colours.


xocomecatlite

From Nahuatl xocomecatl (“grapevine”) (alluding to its appearance as a set of green spherules), and -ite.

(mineralogy) A telluride mineral found in cracks in altered rhyolite.


greenockite

greenockite (countable and uncountable, plural greenockites)

Lord Greenock, on whose land the mineral was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare cadmium mineral that consists of cadmium sulfide in crystalline form.


neptunite

neptunite (usually uncountable, plural neptunites)

A black silicate mineral with chemical formula KNa₂Li(Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺)₂Ti₂Si₈O₂₄


stilpnomelane

stilpnomelane (countable and uncountable, plural stilpnomelanes)

Ancient Greek στιλπνός (stilpnós, “glittering”), and μελανός (melanós, “black”).

uder

(mineralogy) A metamorphic phyllosilicate mineral of the mica group, having the chemical formula K(Fe²⁺,Mg,Fe³⁺)₈(Si,Al)₁₂(O,OH)₂₇.


abelsonite

From Abelson + -ite, after Philip Abelson.

A mineral, NiC₃₁H₃₂N₄, forming soft reddish-brown triclinic crystals.


microlite

(mineralogy) A basic fluoride of sodium, calcium, tantalum and niobium that is isomorphous with pyrochlore


åkermanite

Named for Anders Richard Åkerman, a Swedish mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A melilite mineral of the sorosilicate group, containing calcium, magnesium, silicon, and oxygen and having the chemical formula Ca₂Mg[Si₂O₇].


polarite

The Polar Ural Mountains in Russia, where it is found, and -ite.

(mineralogy) An opaque, yellow-white mineral with a metallic lustre, having the chemical formula (Pd,(Bi,Pb)).


zimbabweite

Zimbabwe, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A yellow-brown mineral with chemical formula (Na,K)₂PbAs₄(Nb,Ta,Ti)₄O₁₈, generally classed as an arsenite.


gwihabaite

Gcwihaba Cave in Botswana, where it was found in 1996, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare ammonium potassium nitrate mineral with chemical formula (NH₄,K)(NO₃), orthorhombic in form and colourless with a vitreous lustre.


hafnon

(mineralogy) A mineral of hafnium silicate ore, having the chemical formula HfSiO₄, produced synthetically by substituting hafnium for the zirconium in zircon.


freieslebenite

From Freiesleben + -ite. Named after Johann Karl Freiesleben (1774–1846), Mining Commissioner of Saxony in Germany.

named-after

(mineralogy) A rare opaque sulfide mineral of antimony, lead and silver with the chemical formula AgPbSbS₃.


kornerupine

Named after Andreas Nikolaus Kornerup (1857–1883), Danish geologist + -ine.

(mineralogy) A rare boro-silicate mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe²⁺)₄(Al,Fe³⁺)₆(SiO₄,BO₄)₅(O,OH)₂, some varieties of which are valued as gemstones.


frankhawthorneite

Professor Frank Hawthorne, Winnipeg geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula Cu₂Te⁶⁺O₄(OH)₂ and a leaf-green colour.


christianite

From Christian + -ite, after Christian VIII of Denmark.


ye'elimite

Har Ye'elim in Israel, where it was first found in nature, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A calcium sulphoaluminate mineral.


uchucchacuaite

Named after the discovery locality, Uchuc-Chacua deposit, Catajambo, Peru.
Uchuc-Chacua + -ite

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula (AgMnPb₃Sb₅S₁₂), often found in hydrothermal deposits.


brownmillerite

Lorrin Thomas Brownmiller (1902-1988), American chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Ca₂(Al,Fe⁺⁺⁺)₂O₅, found in metamorphosed limestone.


zektzerite

From the name of Jack Zektzer, who recognised that the mineral (originally misidentified as morganite) was unknown, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of agpaitic granites.


pseudophillipsite

(mineralogy, dated) A variety of phillipsite containing less silica.


juonniite

(mineralogy) A form of segelerite in which the iron is replaced by scandium.


overite

(mineralogy) A form of segelerite in which the iron is replaced by aluminium.


purpurite

(mineralogy) A manganese phosphate mineral with a striking purple colour.


childrenite

From Children + -ite after John George Children (1777-1852), its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A rare hydrated phosphate mineral with the chemical formula (Fe,Mn)AlPO₄(OH)₂•H₂O, brown or yellow in colour with a vitreous lustre.


phillipsite

(mineralogy) A mineral of the zeolite group, a hydrated potassium, calcium and aluminium silicate with monoclinic crystals.


moschellandsbergite

From Moschellandsberg + -ite, after the town in Germany.

(mineralogy) A rare isometric mineral made up of a silver-white amalgam of mercury and silver, having the chemical formula Ag₂Hg₃.


kaatialaite

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula (Fe(H₂AsO₄)₃·5H₂O).


zeagonite

(mineralogy) Obsolete name for a supposed mineral, later reclassified as a mixture of phillipsite with gismondine or levynite.


hodgkinsonite

From Hodgkinson + -ite, after H. H. Hodgkinson, its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A rare monoclinic zinc manganese silicate mineral with the chemical formula Zn₂MnSiO₄(OH)₂, having a pink, red or yellow-red colour.


annabergite

Annaberg-Buchholz in Germany, where it can be found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting of a hydrous nickel arsenate, chemical formula Ni₃(AsO₄)₂·8H₂O, with an apple-green colour.


levyne

en-noun

levyne (countable and uncountable, plural levynes)

Armand Levy (1794-1841), French mineralogist.

(mineralogy) A hydrated silicate mineral found in sodium- and calcium-dominated forms.


sasbachite

(mineralogy) Obsolete name for a supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


spangite

(mineralogy, obsolete) a supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


boulangerite

boulangerite (usually uncountable, plural boulangerites)

Charles Boulanger, French mining engineer, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A lead antimony sulfide mineral that forms metallic grey monoclinic crystals.


buddingtonite

Arthur Francis Buddington (1890-1980), petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) An ammonium feldspar with a vitreous lustre.


xifengite

(mineralogy) A grey metallic hexagonal mineral.


bixbite

(mineralogy, dated) The mineral red beryl.


dumortierite

dumortierite (countable and uncountable, plural dumortierites)

Eugene Dumortier (1803-1873), French palaeontologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A fibrous aluminium boro-silicate mineral that occurs in various colours.


carobbiite

Guido Carobbi (1900–1983), Italian geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) Potassium fluoride, a rare, soft, colourless cubic mineral.


nsutite

From Nsuta + -ite, from the place in Ghana where it was discovered.

(mineralogy) A dull manganese oxide mineral.


herbertsmithite

Herbert Smith (1872-1953), mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula ZnCu₃(OH)₆Cl₂, light green or blue-green with a vitreous lustre.


bixbyite

Maynard Bixby, American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare manganese iron oxide mineral with a black metallic appearance.


xanthiosite

(mineralogy) A phosphate mineral first discovered in Germany in 1858.


godovikovite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral with the chemical formula (NH₄)Al(SO₄)₂ (or with aluminium partially replaced by iron).


aubertite

(mineralogy) A blue mineral with the chemical formula CuAl(SO₄)₂Cl·14(H₂O).


jarosewichite

Eugene Jarosewich, Smithsonian chemist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese arsenate hydroxide mineral.


leadhillite

Leadhills, Scotland, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral.


hutchinsonite

Arthur Hutchinson (1866-1937), Cambridge mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare sulfosalt mineral of thallium, arsenic and lead.


magadiite

magadiite (countable and uncountable, plural magadiites)

Lake Magadi, Kenya, where an occurrence was first described, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft white hydrous sodium silicate mineral.


bazzite

Alessandro E Bazzi, who discovered an occurrence in Italy, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A beryllium scandium cyclosilicate mineral taking the form of small blue hexagonal crystals.


wellsite

(mineralogy, obsolete) A supposed mineral, later reclassified as a mixture of phillipsite with harmotome.


vauquelinite

Louis Vauquelin (1763-1829), French chemist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A complex mineral, a combined chromate and phosphate of copper and lead.


schröckingerite

(mineralogy) A radioactive yellow mineral that fluoresces under ultraviolet light.


melanochroite

From melano- + Ancient Greek χρώς (khrṓs) + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) An alternate name for phoenicochroite.


dawsonite

en-noun

dawsonite (countable and uncountable, plural dawsonites)

Sir John William Dawson, geologist; Dawson + -ite.

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic mineral composed of sodium aluminium carbonate hydroxide.


heazlewoodite

From Heazlewood + -ite, from an Australian placename.

(mineralogy) A rare nickel sulfide mineral found in serpentinized dunite.


titanowodginite

(mineralogy) A titanium-bearing mineral of the wodginite group.


baddeleyite

After Joseph Baddeley, who described the original Sri Lankan find, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare zirconium oxide mineral occurring in a variety of monoclinic prismatic crystal forms.


mackinawite

Mackinaw mine, Washington, where an occurrence was first described + -ite.

(mineralogy) A tetragonal iron nickel sulfide mineral that occurs as opaque bronze to grey-white tabular crystals and anhedral masses.


breithauptite

Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (1791-1873), German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A nickel antimonide mineral with the chemical formula NiSb, having a metallic opaque copper-red appearance.


holmquistite

Per Johan Holmquist, Swedish petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A lithium magnesium aluminium inosilicate mineral, varying in colour from black or violet to sky blue.


cossyrite

(mineralogy) Alternate name for aenigmatite.


abhurite

Sharm Abhur, a cove in the Red Sea, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft mineral composed of tin, oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine.


pharmacosiderite

From Ancient Greek φάρμᾰκον (phármakon, “poison (i.e. arsenic)”) + σῐ́δηρος (sídēros, “iron”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) A hydrated basic ferric arsenate, consisting of the elements arsenic, iron, hydrogen, potassium, sodium and oxygen.


phoenicochroite

From Ancient Greek φοινίκεος (phoiníkeos, “crimson”) + Ancient Greek χρώς (khrṓs, “color”) + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) A form of lead chromate with striking orange-red crystals.


normalin

(mineralogy, obsolete) A supposed mineral, now believed to be phillipsite.


abswurmbachite

Irmgard Abs-Wurmbach, German mineralogist, + -ite

(mineralogy) A tetragonal copper manganese silicate mineral with a metallic lustre.


acuminite

(mineralogy) A mineral composed of strontium, aluminium, fluorine, oxygen, and hydrogen.


aenigmatite

en-noun

aenigmatite (countable and uncountable, plural aenigmatites)

(mineralogy) An inosilicate mineral of sodium, iron, and titanium, forming brown to black triclinic lamellar crystals.


admontite

(mineralogy) A soft mineral composed of magnesium, boron, oxygen, and hydrogen.


harmotome

harmotome (countable and uncountable, plural harmotomes)

From Ancient Greek ἁρμός (harmós, “joint, shoulder”) and τομή (tomḗ, “section”).

uder

(mineralogy) A rare zeolite, a hydrated barium silicate that forms vitreous white monoclinic crystals.


adelite

From Ancient Greek ἄδηλος (ádēlos, “indistinct”) + -ite.

affix

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, a calcium-magnesium arsenate, forming blue, green, yellow or grey orthorhombic crystals.


xingzhongite

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic mineral composed of copper, iridium, iron, lead, platinum, rhodium, and sulphur.


xiangjiangite

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral composed of aluminium, hydrogen, iron, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur, and uranium.


holdawayite

Michael Jon Holdaway (1936-), American petrologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese hydroxyl-carbonate mineral.


widgiemoolthalite

Named for Australian community Widgiemooltha, + -lite.

(mineralogy) A nickel analogue of hydromagnesite discovered in Western Australia.


goldquarryite

(mineralogy) A mineral, the first known cadmium-bearing phosphate.


fukuchilite

Nobuyo Fukuchi, Japanese mineralogist, + -lite.

(mineralogy) A copper iron sulphide, believed by some to be a form of villamaninite.


aerugite

(mineralogy) A rare complex nickel arsenate mineral that forms green to deep blue-green trigonal crystals.


zálesíite

Named after the type locality: Zálesí, a village in the Czech Republic, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of the mixite group.


jerrygibbsite

Jerry V. Gibbs, Virginia professor of geology, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare violet-pink mineral, believed to be a member of the leucophoenicite family.


searlesite

From Searles + -ite, after John W. Searles, Californian pioneer.

(mineralogy) A sodium borosilicate mineral, an important ore of borax.


abernathyite

Jess Abernathy, Utah mine operator, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hydrous uranium oxide mineral that forms yellow vitreous tabular crystals with perfect cleavage.


uklonskovite

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with a vitreous lustre that has the chemical formula NaMg(SO₄)F.


clinochrysotile

(mineralogy) A soft, fibrous silicate mineral in the serpentine group of phyllosilicates, also called "white asbestos".


chapmanite

Edward John Chapman, geology professor at the University of Toronto, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare nesosilicate mineral, an iron antimony silicate closely related to bismutoferrite.


kurnakovite

Nikolai S. Kurnakov (1860-1941), Russian mineralogist, and -ite.


nesquehonite

(mineralogy) Magnesium carbonate trihydrate.


yuksporite

(mineralogy) A rare pink inosilicate mineral with orthorhombic crystals.


moolooite

Mooloo Downs, Australia, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare blue-green mineral, a hydrated copper oxalate with an orthorhombic crystalline structure.


sborgite

Umberto Sborgi (1883-1955), Italian chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A colourless sodium borate mineral with monoclinic crystals.


kutnohorite

en-noun

kutnohorite (countable and uncountable, plural kutnohorites)

(mineralogy) A rare calcium manganese magnesium iron carbonate mineral with trigonal crystals, having a white, pink or brown colour.


sylvanite

sylvanite (countable and uncountable, plural sylvanites)

From sylvan + -ite, since it can be found in Transylvania.

(mineralogy) Silver gold telluride, a soft metallic mineral ranging in color from steely gray to almost white.


niningerite

niningerite (usually uncountable, plural niningerites)

Named for Harvey H. Nininger, meteoriticist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A magnesium-iron-manganese sulfide mineral.


nenadkevichite

nenadkevichite (usually uncountable, plural nenadkevichites)

Konstantin A Nenadkevich, Russian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare silicate mineral containing niobium.


kratochvilite

Harvey H Nininger, meteoriticist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare organic mineral, an orthorhombic hydrocarbon formed by combustion of coal or pyritic black shale deposits.


empressite

Empress Josephine Mine, Colorado, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal mineral form of silver telluride.


idrialine

idrialine (countable and uncountable, plural idrialines)


zabuyelite

Zabuye Salt Lake, Tibet, where it was discovered, and -ite.

(mineralogy) The natural mineral form of lithium carbonate, forming colourless vitreous monoclinic crystals.


xanthoxenite

(mineralogy) A dull brown or yellow triclinic mineral.


hydromica

(mineralogy) An alternate name for illite.


zaccagnaite

zaccagnaite (countable and uncountable, plural zaccagnaites)

Domenico Zaccagna (1851-1940), Italian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A basic zinc and aluminium carbonate


inyoite

Inyo County, California, where it was discovered, and + -ite

(mineralogy) A colourless monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula Ca(H₄B₃O₇)(OH)·4H₂O.


zincobotryogen

(mineralogy) A soft hydrous sulfate mineral that forms bright orange-red monoclinic prismatic crystals with a vitreous to greasy lustre.


idrialite

idrialite (countable and uncountable, plural idrialites)

(mineralogy) A soft, orthorhombic hydrocarbon mineral, usually greenish-yellow to light brown in colour with bluish fluorescence.


zakharovite

E E Zakharov (1902-1980), geologist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A silicate mineral of sodium and manganese, yellow in colour with a pearly lustre.


illite

illite (countable and uncountable, plural illites)

(mineralogy) A micaceous phyllosilicate clay mineral with aggregates of grey or white monoclinic crystals.


zharchikhite

Zharchinskoya Deposit, Russia, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydroxy fluoride mineral of aluminium that forms colourless, transparent crystals.


ulvöspinel

Named after the Ulvö Islands, where it was first described, and spinel.

(mineralogy) An iron titanium oxide mineral of the spinel group.


jacobsite

(mineralogy) A manganese iron oxide mineral, a magnetite spinel.


berborite

(mineralogy) A colorless trigonal or hexagonal mineral, with chemical formula Be₂(BO₃)(OH,F)·(H₂O).


berthierite

Named for Pierre Berthier, a French chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A steel-gray opaque mineral, with chemical formula FeSb₂S₄.


berryite

Named for Leonard Gascoigne Berry, an American mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A blue-gray opaque mineral, with chemical formula Pb₃(Ag,Cu)₅Bi₇S₁₆.


bentorite

(mineralogy) A hard transparent violet mineral with vitreous lustre.


berndtite

(mineralogy) A rare tin sulfide mineral.


betafite

betafite (countable and uncountable, plural betafites)

From Betafo + -ite, after Betafo in the Malagasy Republic, where it was discovered.

(mineralogy) A radioactive mineral in the pyrochlore group, having chemical formula (Ca,U)₂(Ti,Nb,Ta)₂O₆(OH).


benitoite

San Benito County, California, where it can be found, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hard blue silicate mineral found in hydrothermally altered serpentinite.


zirconolite

(mineralogy) The mineral calcium zirconium titanate.


zhanghengite

Zhang Heng, ancient Chinese astronomer, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A golden-yellow mineral containing predominantly copper and zinc but also iron, chromium, and aluminium.


zinalsite

From the opening letters of the words zinc aluminium silicate, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A supposed zinc aluminium silicate mineral, not officially recognised.


zirkelite

zirkelite (usually uncountable, plural zirkelites)

Ferdinand Zirkel (1838-1912), German petrographer, + -ite.

(mineralogy) An isometric oxide mineral with the chemical formula (Ca,Th,Ce)Zr(Ti,Nb)₂O₇.


zincochromite

(mineralogy) A mineral, the zinc analogue of chromite.


zircophyllite

(mineralogy) A complex mineral with the chemical formula (K,Na)₃(Mn,Fe)₇(Zr,Ti,Nb)₂Si₈O₂₄(OH,F)₇.


variscite

variscite (countable and uncountable, plural variscites)

Named after the locality of Variscia, the dated name of Vogtland (Germany), + -ite.

A relatively rare hydrated aluminum phosphate mineral (AlPO₄·2H₂O), sometimes confused with turquoise.


yttrialite

(mineralogy) A rare, highly radioactive yttrium thorium sorosilicate mineral with conchoidal fracture.


zaherite

From the name of Mohamed Abduz Zaher, the Bangladeshi geologist who discovered it, and + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral, a complex sulphate of aluminium, coloured white to blue-green.


CAI

CAI (countable and uncountable, plural CAIs)

(inorganic chemistry, mineralogy) Initialism of calcium-aluminium-rich inclusion, a type of mineral.


jurbanite

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with chemical formula AlSO₄(OH)·₅H₂O.


jaffeite

After Howard W Jaffe, Amherst geologist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated calcium silicate mineral with chemical formula Ca₆Si₂O₇(OH)₆.


jordanite

From Jordan + -ite, after Dr H. Jordan (1808-1887), its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A grey monoclinic sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula Pb₁₄(As,Sb)₆S₂₃.


iodargyrite

(mineralogy) A natural mineral form of silver iodide.


quenstedtite

Named after F. A. von Quenstedt, German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare iron sulfate mineral that forms violet or white triclinic crystals.


akaganeite

akaganeite (countable and uncountable, plural akaganeites)

Akagane mine, Japan, where it was discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic iron(III) oxide-hydroxide/chloride mineral formed by the weathering of pyrrhotite.


hübnerite

Adolf Hübner, German mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A manganese tungstate mineral that forms reddish-brown to black monoclinic prismatic submetallic crystals.


wüstite

wüstite (countable and uncountable, plural wüstites)

From Wüst + -ite after Fritz Wüst (1860-1938), a German metallurgist.

(mineralogy) A grey mineral form of iron(II) oxide with a greenish tint.


jamesonite

Robert Jameson (1774-1854), Scottish mineralogist + -ite.

(mineralogy) A dark grey monoclinic sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula Pb₄FeSb₆S₁₄.


hislopite

From Hislop + -ite after Stephen Hislop (1816-1873), a Scottish missionary in India.

(mineralogy) A bright green variety of calcite.


hisingerite

hisingerite (countable and uncountable, plural hisingerites)

From Hisinger + -ite after Wilhelm Hisinger, Swedish chemist.

(mineralogy) An iron silicate with a dark-brown or black color, formula Fe³⁺₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·2H₂O.


nagyagite

Named after Nagyág, a mineral mine in Săcărâmb, Romania.

(mineralogy) A dark grey to black sulfide, formula (Pb₅Au(Te,Sb)₄S₅₋₈).


nosean

nosean (countable and uncountable, plural noseans)


noselite

From the name of K. W. Nose (1753-1835), German mineralogist, and + -lite.

(mineralogy) A rare fluorescent isometric feldspathoid mineral.


barringtonite

(mineralogy) Magnesium carbonate dihydrate.


kyzylkumite

(mineralogy) An opaque black monoclinic mineral.


spherocobaltite

(mineralogy) Cobalt(II) carbonate, a red trigonal mineral used in pottery glazes.


meyerhofferite

Wilhelm Meyerhoffer (1864-1906), German chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hydrated borate mineral with the chemical formula Ca₂B₆O₆(OH)₁₀ · ₂(H₂O).


andyrobertsite

Andrew C Roberts (1950-), Canadian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic mineral with vitreous lustre, having the chemical formula KCdCu₅[H₂AsO₄|(AsO₄)₄]·2H₂O.


djurleite

djurleite (usually uncountable, plural djurleites)

From Djurle + -ite, after Seved Djurle (1928-2000), Swedish chemist.

(mineralogy) A copper sulfide mineral with the chemical formula Cu₃₁S₁₆.


gormanite

Donald Gorman, Canadian geologist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A triclinic hydrated phosphate mineral.


afghanite

From Afghan + -ite, since it was discovered in Afghanistan.

(mineralogy) A hydrous hexagonal feldspathoid mineral of the cancrinite group.


hectorite

(mineralogy) A basic silicate of magnesium and lithium; it is a clay mineral of the montmorillonite group.


chkalovite

chkalovite (countable and uncountable, plural chkalovites)

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, sodium beryllium silicate.


chladniite

chladniite (countable and uncountable, plural chladniites)

From Chladni (“a surname”) + -ite, after German physicist Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni (1756—1827).

(mineralogy) Alternative form of chladnite


oldhamite

(mineralogy) The mineral form of calcium sulphide.


okenite

Lorenz Oken (1779-1851), German naturalist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A silicate mineral associated with zeolites, having the chemical formula (CaSi₂O₅·2H₂O).


froodite

froodite (usually uncountable, plural froodites)

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic grey mineral containing bismuth and palladium.


titanomagnetite

(mineralogy) A form of magnetite containing small amounts of titanium


iron ore

iron ore (countable and uncountable, plural iron ores)

(mining) A mineral deposit from which iron can be viably extracted.


cat's eye

cat's eye (countable and uncountable, plural cats' eyes or cat's eyes)

An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

(mineralogy) Cymophane (translucent yellow chatoyant chrysoberyl).


szomolnokite

(mineralogy) An iron sulfate mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·H₂O.


rammelsbergite

Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg, German mineralogist, and -ite.


rozenite

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·4H₂O.


ullmannite

ullmannite (countable and uncountable, plural ullmannites)

Johann Christoph Ullmann (1771-1821), German mineralogist, + -ite

(mineralogy) A nickel antimony sulphide mineral.


vrbaite

From Vrba + -ite, after Karl Vrba (1845-1922), Czech mineralogist.

(mineralogy) An opaque, brittle mineral with chemical formula Tl₄Hg₃Sb₂As₈S₂₀.


palladobismutharsenide

(mineralogy) An opaque metallic silvery-white mineral containing palladium, bismuth, and arsenic.


siderotil

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·5H₂O.


ferrohexahydrite

(mineralogy) An iron sulphide mineral with chemical formula FeSO₄·6H₂O.


haggertyite

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal mineral, a barium iron magnesium titanate.


akimotoite

akimotoite (usually uncountable, plural akimotoites)

(mineralogy) A trigonal mineral of the ilmenite group with a vitreous lustre, the silicon analogue of geikielite.


akdalaite

From the Kazakh name, Akdala, for the type locality, the Betpak-Dala desert.
Akdala + -ite

(mineralogy) A white hexagonal mineral with chemical formula 4Al₂O₃·H₂O found in Kazakhstan.


aksaite

From Aksay + -ite, named in 1963 after the locality in Kazakhstan where it was found, which comes from Kazakh Ақсай (Aqsai), literally "white glen".

(mineralogy) A mineral containing magnesium, boron, oxygen, and hydrogen.


akhtenskite

(mineralogy) A rare grey or black mineral containing manganese and oxygen.


aheylite

From a (first letter of Allen) + heyl + -ite, named after Allen V. Heyl, a geologist for the United States Geological Survey.

(mineralogy) A pale blue or green triclinic mineral.

Allen V. Heyl
United States Geological Survey
aheylite


kamacite

From Ancient Greek κάμαξ (kámax, “vine-pole”) + -ite.

uder

(mineralogy) A meteoritic mineral which consists chiefly of iron and nickel


kolbeckite

Friedrich L W Kolbeck, German mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A scandium phosphate mineral.


irtyshite

(mineralogy) A hexagonal mineral containing sodium, tantalum, niobium, and oxygen.


tyuyamunite

From Tyuyamun + -ite after discovery locality in the Tyuya-Muyun, Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan.

(mineralogy) A very rare uranium mineral, Ca(UO₂)₂V₂O₈·(5-8)H₂O.


coffinite

From Coffin + -ite, after Reuben Clare Coffin, American geologist.

(mineralogy) A brown or black uranium-bearing silicate mineral.


stilpnosiderite

(mineralogy) A brownish-black mineral, a form of limonite.


felsite

The buff-colored dacites of the Superstition Mountains are felsites.

(mineralogy) A fine grained volcanic extrusive rock, generally light in color, composed of felsic minerals.


rhodplumsite

The name reflects the main composites of the mineral, rhodium and lead
Greek rhodon + Latin plumbum + -ite

(mineralogy) A rare rhodium-lead sulphide mineral with chemical formula Rh₃Pb₂S₂.


bukovskyite

Named after Czech chemist Antonín Bukovský (1865–1950), who studied minerals of old pit heaps and in 1901 proved it was an arsenate.

named-after

(mineralogy) An iron arsenate sulfate mineral that forms nodules with a reniform surface.


qandilite

(mineralogy) An opaque black metallic mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe)₂(Ti,Fe,Al)O₄.


qilianshanite

(mineralogy) A soft colourless monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula NaHCO₃·H₃BO₃·2H₂O.


löllingite

Lölling, Austria, where it was first described, and -ite.

(mineralogy) An iron arsenide mineral often found with arsenopyrite.


afwillite

Alpheus Fuller Williams (1874-1953) of the De Beers diamond company, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A calcium hydroxide nesosilicate mineral, occurring as glassy, colourless to white prismatic monoclinic crystals.


qitianlingite

(mineralogy) A black orthorhombic mineral with the chemical formula (Fe,Mn)₂(Nb,Ta)₂WO₁₀.


qingheiite

en-noun

qingheiite (usually uncountable, plural qingheiites)

(mineralogy) A complex yellow or green mineral with vitreous lustre.


zvyagintsevite

Orest Evgenevich Zvyagintsev, geochemist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A white opaque metallic mineral with the chemical formula (Pd,Pt,Au)₃(Pb,Sn).


jacquesdietrichite

Jacques Emile Dietrich (1926-2009), French geologist, and -ite. Dietrich found the mineral. The name of the mineral was however chosen by one of his friends, Georges Favreau.

(mineralogy) A translucent blue mineral with the chemical formula Cu₂[BO(OH)₂](OH)₃.


znucalite

From the chemical symbols Zn (zinc) and U (uranium), the word calcium, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A fluorescent radioactive mineral with the chemical formula CaZn₁₁(UO₂)(CO₃)₃(OH)₂₀·4(H₂O).


szmikite

Ignaz Szmik, Romanian mining official + -ite.

(mineralogy) A soft monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula MnSO₄·(H₂O).


martite

(mineralogy) A variety of hematite that is pseudomorphic after magnetite crystals.


tellurobismuthite

(mineralogy) A soft dull grey mineral form of bismuth telluride.


stibiopalladinite

(mineralogy) A palladium-antimony mineral with the chemical formula Pd₅Sb₂.


phosphophyllite

(mineralogy) A rare bluish-green hydrated zinc phosphate mineral.


dmisteinbergite

Chesnokov et al. also reported from the same locality dmisteinbergite, a natural hexagonal polymorph of anorthite.

2001, William Alexander Deer, Robert Andrew Howie, J. Zussman, Rock-forming Minerals: Feldspars, volume 4A, page 654:

(mineralogy) A colourless mineral, a hexagonal polymorph of anorthite, with the chemical formula CaAl₂Si₂O₈.


millosevichite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral with the chemical formula Al₂(SO₄)₃, forming white to yellowish cryptocrystalline masses.


vaterite

Named after German mineralogist Heinrich Vater, + -ite.

A polymorph of calcium carbonate, chemical formula CaCO₃.


knorringite

From Knorring + -ite, after Oleg Von Knorring, professor of mineralogy.

(mineralogy) A green or blue mineral of the garnet group, forming a series with pyrope.


cyanotrichite

(mineralogy) A rare, blue, orthorhombic copper aluminium sulfate mineral.


pezzottaite

pezzottaite (usually uncountable, plural pezzottaites)

From Pezzotta + -ite, after Federico Pezzotta, Italian petrologist.

(mineralogy) A cesium analog of beryl, a silicate of cesium, beryllium, lithium and aluminium that crystallizes in the trigonal system.


garnierite

From Garnier + -ite, after Jules Garnier, its discoverer.

(mineralogy) A green nickel ore found in fissures of weathered ultramafic rocks


volborthite

Alexander von Volborth (1800-1876), a Russian paleontologist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral containing copper and vanadium.


kirschsteinite

(mineralogy) A grey orthorhombic silicate mineral of the olivine group.


niedermayrite

Gerhard Niedermayr (born 1941), Austrian mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare monoclinic hydrated copper cadmium sulfate hydroxide mineral.


calciovolborthite

(mineralogy) A mineral with chemical formula CaCuVO₄(OH), closely related to volborthite.


tokyoite

tokyoite (usually uncountable, plural tokyoites)

Tokyo, Japan, where it was found, + -ite.


leucophanite

leucophanite (countable and uncountable, plural leucophanites)

Originally named Leukophan (1840) by the Norwegian mineralogist Jens Esmark, in allusion to its whitish color, from leuco- (white) + -phane (“appearing”). The suffix -ite, added later, is used to form nouns denoting minerals.

(mineralogy) A sorosilicate mineral that occurs in pegmatites and alkali igneous complexes as yellow, greenish or white triclinic crystals.


sekaninaite

sekaninaite (countable and uncountable, plural sekaninaites)

Josef Sekanina, Czech mineralogist, and -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula ((Fe⁺²,Mg)₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈).


monohydrocalcite

(mineralogy) A white trigonal mineral with the chemical formula CaCO₃·H₂O, a hydrous form of calcium carbonate.


siderophyllite

(mineralogy) A rare silicate mineral of the mica group.


feroxyhyte

feroxyhyte (countable and uncountable, plural feroxyhytes)

(mineralogy) A hexagonal oxide/hydroxide of iron that occurs in manganese-iron nodules on the Pacific Ocean floor, reverting to goethite on exposure to surface conditions.


descloizite

Alfred Des Cloizeaux (1817-1897), French mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare orthorhombic mineral consisting of basic lead and zinc vanadate, isomorphous with olivenite.


cabriite

Louis J Cabri, Canadian mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A grey-white mineral with the chemical formula Pd₂SnCu.


borickite

(mineralogy) Alternate name for delvauxite.


delvauxite

Borrowed from French delvauxite, from J S P J Delvaux de Feuffe (1782-1863), Belgian chemist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A yellow or brown amorphous mineral, sometimes forming a botryoidal mass or stalactites.


olivenite

From German Olivenerz (“olive ore”), from its olive-green colour + -ite.

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic copper arsenate mineral with the chemical formula Cu₂AsO₄OH.


hydrozincite

(mineralogy) A white carbonate mineral with the chemical formula Zn₅(CO₃)₂(OH)₆.


hydromagnesite

(mineralogy) A hydrated magnesium carbonate mineral with the chemical formula Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂.4H₂O, used as a fire retardant.


freibergite

freibergite (usually uncountable, plural freibergites)

Freiberg, Saxony, where it was found in silver mines, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A complex cubic sulfosalt mineral of silver, copper, iron, antimony, and arsenic.


sulfosalt

(mineralogy) A complex sulfide mineral with certain proportions of a metal, a semi-metal, and sulfur (or, rarely, selenium).

sulfosel

a type of complex sulfide mineral with a metal and semimetal


hydrophilite

(mineralogy) A soft white mineral formed from anhydrous calcium chloride.


hydroboracite

(mineralogy) A hydrated borate mineral with the chemical formula CaMgB₆O₈(OH)₆·3(H₂O).


cadwaladerite

Charles Meigs Biddle Cadwalader (1885-1959), president of the Academy of Natural Sciences, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A yellow mineral with the chemical formula Al(OH)C₂|4H₂O.


sardel

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an error for sardine or sardius.


quetenite

From Quetena (“a place name in Chile”) + -ite.


eucryptite

From eu- + crypto- + -ite, suggesting well hidden, from its presence among albite.

(mineralogy) A lithium-bearing aluminium silicate mineral.


botryogen

From Ancient Greek βότρυς (bótrus, “cluster of grapes”) + -gen.

der

(mineralogy) A hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral.


mackayite

John William Mackay (1831-1902), and -ite.

(mineralogy) A green or brown transparent mineral, formula Fe³⁺Te²O⁵(OH), found in Esmeralda County, Nevada.


brugnatellite

en-noun

brugnatellite (usually uncountable, plural brugnatellites)

(mineralogy) A yellowish mineral formed of a hydrated ferric and magnesium carbonate/hydroxide.


chlorapatite

chlorapatite (countable and uncountable, plural chlorapatites)

(mineralogy) A variety of apatite containing chloride instead of fluoride.


lizardite

Named in 1955 by Eric J.W. Whittaker and Jack Zussman for the type locality: 'The Lizard', Cornwall, UK
Lizard + -ite


haxonite

haxonite (countable and uncountable, plural haxonites)

(mineralogy) An iron nickel carbide mineral.


merrillite

(mineralogy) A calcium phosphate mineral found in some meteorites


agardite

agardite (countable and uncountable, plural agardites)

From Agard + -ite, after French geologist Jules Agard.

(mineralogy) Any of a group of copper arsenate minerals that contain varying proportions of several rare earth elements such as cerium, neodymium, lanthanum and yttrium.


periclase

periclase (countable and uncountable, plural periclases)

(mineralogy) A cubic crystalline form of magnesium oxide (MgO).


magnolite

An orthorhombic mineral which can appear in a number of different colors, with chemical formula Hg₂TeO₃.


xiphonite

Named in 1893 by either Dr Gaetano Platania or Giovanni Platania after Xiphonia, Italy, a town near the type locality.

(mineralogy, obsolete) A scoriaceous amphibole with yellow crystals.


wyartite

(mineralogy) A uranium-bearing mineral that is greenish-black, black, or black-violet in color and is a member of the uranium carbonate group of minerals.


nitromagnesite

nitromagnesite (countable and uncountable, plural nitromagnesites)


connellite

connellite (countable and uncountable, plural connellites)

From Connell + -ite, as it was first examined chemically by Prof Arthur Connell FRSE in 1847.

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal hydrous copper chlorosulfate mineral with the chemical formula Cu₁₉(SO₄)(OH)₃₂Cl₄ · 3H₂O.


barytocalcite

barytocalcite (countable and uncountable, plural barytocalcites)

(mineralogy) A monoclinic barium calcium carbonate mineral.


kadyrelite

kadyrelite (countable and uncountable, plural kadyrelites)

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Hg₄(Br,Cl)₂O.


euclase

euclase (countable and uncountable, plural euclases)

(mineralogy) A monoclinic beryllium aluminium hydroxide silicate mineral, a product of the decomposition of beryl in pegmatites.


orthochrysotile

orthochrysotile (countable and uncountable, plural orthochrysotiles)

(mineralogy) An orthorhombic polytype of chrysotile.


shattuckite

shattuckite (countable and uncountable, plural shattuckites)

Shattuck Mine, Arizona, where it was first discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A copper silicate hydroxide mineral.


parachrysotile

parachrysotile (countable and uncountable, plural parachrysotiles)


rhomboclase

rhomboclase (countable and uncountable, plural rhomboclases)

(mineralogy) An acidic orthorhombic iron sulfate mineral.


antiperovskite

(mineralogy) Any crystal with a structure based on a perovskite but with the cations replaced by anions and vice versa.


nyerereite

nyerereite (countable and uncountable, plural nyerereites)

From Nyerere + -ite. Named after Tanzanian founding president Julius Nyerere.

named-after

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula Na₂Ca(CO₃)₂.


austinite

en-noun

austinite (countable and uncountable, plural austinites)

From Austin + -ite, after Austin Flint Rogers, mineralogist.

(rare, mineralogy) A secondary mineral found in the oxidized zone of some arsenic-rich base-metal deposits.


oversalt

en-verb

oversalt (third-person singular simple present oversalts, present participle oversalting, simple past and past participle oversalted)

oversalts (present singular third-person)
oversalting (participle present)
oversalted (participle past)
oversalted (past)

On one occasion the caldo verde succeeded admirably, flavors and texture nicely balanced; on another, the sausage had unaccountably been omitted and the broth oversalted.

1988 July 15, Sondra Rosenberg, “Restaurant Tours: Brazil, Portugal, and Albany Park”, in Chicago Reader:

(cooking) To add too much salt to (something)


danburite

en-noun

danburite (countable and uncountable, plural danburites)

Danbury, Connecticut, USA, where it was first discovered, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A crystalline mineral similar to topaz.


agrellite

agrellite (countable and uncountable, plural agrellites)

Stuart Olof Agrell (1913-1996), optical mineralogist, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral with the chemical formula NaCa₂FSi₄O₁₀


cylindrite

cylindrite (countable and uncountable, plural cylindrites)

(mineralogy) A sulfosalt mineral, containing tin, lead, antimony and iron, whose triclinic pinacoidal crystals often occur as tubes or cylinders.


challacolloite

challacolloite (countable and uncountable, plural challacolloites)

Challacollo Mine, Iquique, Chile, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare monoclinic halide mineral with the chemical formula KPb₂Cl₅ that occurs as white encrustations on lava.


elbaite

elbaite (countable and uncountable, plural elbaites)

From Elba + -ite, named after the island Elba in Tuscany, Italy where it was first discovered.

(mineralogy) A sodium-lithium-aluminium borosilicate mineral of the tourmaline group, prized as a gemstone.


manganapatite

manganapatite (countable and uncountable, plural manganapatites)

A type of apatite with manganese deposits.


troilite

(mineralogy) A non-magnetic variety of the ferrous sulfide mineral pyrrhotite that occurs in most meteorites


annite

annite (countable and uncountable, plural annites)

(mineralogy) A phyllosilicate mineral related to biotite.


clinopyroxene

clinopyroxene (countable and uncountable, plural clinopyroxenes)

It is well illustrated and it is good to see photographs of macrofauna and microflora of the Cambrian rocks of St Tudwal’s Peninsula; thin section photomicrographs, for example the glomeroporphyritic cluster of andesine and augitic clinopyroxene within the Bryn Crin Basaltic Trachyandesite (Plate 18, page 65), are also very welcome.

2003, “Book Reviews: British Geological Survey Publications”, in M. R. D. Seaward, editor, The Naturalist, volume 128, number 1044, Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, page 118:

Abundant phenocrysts and glomerocrysts of altered olivine and fresh clinopyroxene, up to 2 mm across, occur with sporadic microphenocrysts of opaque iron oxide and alkali feldspar (Figure 3.1). The olivine is replaced by carbonate and clay. Euhedral clinopyroxenes are sometimes partially resorbed along their margins and exhibit strong core to rim and sector growth zoning.

2007, F. L. Sutherland et al., “Unusual Baryte-bearing Hybrid Basalt, Bourke-Byrock Area, Northern New South Wales”, in Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, volume 140, →ISSN, page 29:

The alkali basalts are fine-grained in hand specimen with scattered phenocrysts of greenish olivine up to 5 mm in size. In thin section, the fine-grained groundmass is composed of intergranular olivine, clinopyroxne, plagioclase, Fe–Ti oxides and intersertal glass.

2011, M. C. Bruce, “Geodiversity of the Southern Barrington Tops Lava Field, New South Wales: A Study in Petrology and Geochemistry”, in M. L. Augee, editor, Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, volume 132, pages 58–9:

(mineralogy) Any pyroxene that has a monoclinic crystal structure.


baileychlore

baileychlore (usually uncountable, plural baileychlores)

From Bailey (last name of the mineralogist Sturges W. Bailey) + chlorite.

A yellow-green mineral of the chlorite group with the mineral formula (Zn,Fe,Al,Mg)₆(Si,Al)₄O₁₀(OH)₈.


stephanite

(mineralogy) A sulfide mineral of silver and antimony


maskelynite

maskelynite (countable and uncountable, plural maskelynites)

From Maskelyne + -ite, after Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story Maskelyne, British geologist.

(mineralogy) A glassy phase found in some meteorites and impact craters, typically similar in composition to plagioclase feldspar.


cuprouranite

The mineral copper uranite or torbernite.


torbernite

torbernite (countable and uncountable, plural torbernites)

From Torben + -ite. From Torbern Bergman (1735-1784), Swedish chemist.

(mineralogy) A radioactive green phosphate mineral, isostructural with autunite, found in granites and other uranium-bearing deposits as a secondary mineral.


retinite

retinite (countable and uncountable, plural retinites)

(mineralogy) Any of various resins, similar in appearance to amber, associated with brown coal.


cadmia

From Latin cadmia, ultimately from Ancient Greek Καδμεία (Kadmeía), from Κάδμος (Kádmos, “Cadmus”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming related substances”). Doublet of calamine, calaminaris, and lapis calaminaris.

doublet

(mineralogy, obsolete) Synonym of calamine, a pink form of zinc oxide.


australite

en-noun

australite (countable and uncountable, plural australites)

(mineralogy) A kind of tektite found in Australia.


hypercinnabar

(mineralogy) A form of cinnabar that forms hexagonal crystals


bowenite

bowenite (countable and uncountable, plural bowenites)

Coined in 1850 by James Dwight Dana in honor of George Bowen, who originally analysed it, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A hard, compact variety of the serpentine species antigorite.


lanarkite

From Lanarkshire (“the place where it was discovered”) + -ite.

affix

(mineralogy) A mineral form of lead sulfate with the chemical formula Pb₂(SO₄)O, an oxidation product of galena, whose acicular monoclinic prismatic crystals are white or light green.


saliotite

From Pierre Saliot (“French geologist”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A monoclinic phyllosilicate mineral in the smectite group with a pearly lustre.


tyrolite

From Tyrol (“place name in Austria, where it was discovered”) + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) A hydrated calcium copper arsenate carbonate mineral that forms glassy blue to green orthorhombic radial crystals and botryoidal masses.


kambaldaite

Kambalda, Australia, where it was first described + -ite.

(mineralogy) An extremely rare hexagonal hydrated sodium nickel carbonate mineral, light green or blue, that forms drusy to mammillated encrustations on the matrix.


hypersthene

en-noun

hypersthene (countable and uncountable, plural hypersthenes)

(mineralogy) An inosilicate that is an orthorhombic pyroxene.


calcioandyrobertsite

(mineralogy) A form of andyrobertsite in which calcium is substituted for cadmium.


xitieshanite

From Xitieshan (“a place name in China”) + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) A conchoidal green or yellow mineral with the chemical formula Fe³⁺(SO₄)(OH)·7H₂O.


kogarkoite

Lia Nikolaevna Kogarko, its Russian discoverer + -ite.

(mineralogy) A pale blue monoclinic mineral with the chemical formula Na₃(SO₄)F.


xilingolite

From Xilingola (“a place name in Mongolia”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A grey mineral with metallic lustre, having the chemical formula Pb₃Bi₂S₆.


alarsite

(mineralogy) A trigonal mineral with the chemical formula Al[AsO₄].


grossularite

en-noun

grossularite (countable and uncountable, plural grossularites)

From a botanical name for the gooseberry, Grossularia, in reference to a particular green variety found in Siberia, + -ite.


grossular

grossular (countable and uncountable, plural grossulars)

From New Latin grossularius, from translingual Grossularia, a subgenus of Ribes, including the gooseberry, from French groseille. The mineral name is in reference to a particular green variety found in Siberia.

(mineralogy) A calcium-aluminium mineral of the garnet group.


pentahydroborite

(mineralogy) A basic calcium borate found in skarn minerals


pentagonite

From the fiveling twins that are common in this material.

(mineralogy) A silicate of calcium and vanadium found in basalts and tuffs


zarnec

Ultimately from Middle Iranian *zarnīk (“gold-coloured”); compare Persian زرنیخ (zarnix, “orpiment”), زرنی (zarni, “arsenic”). Doublet of arsenic.

(mineralogy, obsolete) A native sulfide of arsenic, including sandarac and orpiment.


dioptase

dioptase (countable and uncountable, plural dioptases)

An intense emerald-green to bluish-green copper cyclosilicate mineral.


pearlite

pearlite (countable and uncountable, plural pearlites)

[…]inclosing great masses of pearlite and felspar.

1835, British Association for the Advancement of Science, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

(mineralogy) Alternative form of perlite


gismondine

gismondine (usually uncountable, plural gismondines)

Carlo Giuseppe Gismondi (1762-1824), Italian mineralogist, + -ine.

(mineralogy) A zeolite mineral with the chemical formula CaAl₂Si₂O₈·₄(H₂O).


sinople

sinople (countable and uncountable, plural sinoples)

From Old French sinople, from Latin Sinōpis, from Ancient Greek Σινωπίς (Sinōpís, “of Sinope”), a town that exported a red ocher. The unexpected change to meaning "green" in heraldry occurred in French texts around 1350 for unclear reasons.

der

(mineralogy) Ferruginous quartz of a blood-red or brownish red colour, sometimes with a tinge of yellow, used to make the pigment sinopia.


hyalophane

en-noun

hyalophane (countable and uncountable, plural hyalophanes)

From hyalo- (glass) + -phane (“appearing”).

(mineralogy) A monoclinic crystalline mineral, a barium-rich potassium feldspar.


iquiqueite

From Iquique (“a place name”) + -ite, after the city of Iquique, Chile.

Carlos ruizite.[…]As platy crystals, up to 200 μm, in iquiqueite found within yellow nitrate ore samples of mainly nitratine, halite and darapskite from the Zapiga district, Tarapacá Province, Chile.

1996, Mineralogical Magazine, volume 60, page 527:

(mineralogy) A trigonal-ditrigonal pyramidal yellow mineral containing boron, chromium, hydrogen, magnesium, oxygen, potassium, and sodium.


alexandrite

alexandrite (countable and uncountable, plural alexandrites)

Named after Alexander II of Russia + -ite.

(mineralogy) A form of chrysoberyl that displays a colour change dependent upon the light source, along with strong pleochroism.


cymophane

cymophane (countable and uncountable, plural cymophanes)

(mineralogy) A translucent yellowish chatoyant chrysoberyl.


chloropyromorphite

(mineralogy) A mixed phosphate and chloride mineral of lead, Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl.


sinjarite

From Sinjar (“a place in Mesopotamia”) + -ite.

affix

(mineralogy) A rare dihydrate of calcium chloride.


chlorocalcite

(mineralogy) A rare white mineral, chemical formula KCaCl₃.


hibonite

(mineralogy) A calcium aluminate mineral found in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.


enstatite

en-noun

enstatite (countable and uncountable, plural enstatites)

(mineralogy) A form of pyroxene consisting solely of magnesium silicate.


psammite

psammite (countable and uncountable, plural psammites)

(mineralogy) Any sandstone, but most often a metamorphosed rock unit with a dominantly sandstone protolith


khatyrkite

Transliteration of Russian Хатырка (Xatyrka) + -ite.

af

Transliteration of Russian <i class="Cyrl mention" lang="ru">Хатырка</i> (Xatyrka)

(mineralogy) A copper-aluminium mineral, closely related to cupalite.


mixite

en-noun

mixite (countable and uncountable, plural mixites)

Anton Mixa, mine engineer and its discoverer + -ite.

(mineralogy) A rare hexagonal copper bismuth arsenate mineral.


erythrite

erythrite (countable and uncountable, plural erythrites)

(mineralogy) Red cobalt, a secondary hydrated arsenate of cobalt minerals with the formula (Co₃(AsO₄)₂·8H₂O).


cuprobismutite

(mineralogy) A black mineral, with a metallic lustre, found in quartz deposits; it is a mixed sulfide of copper and bismuth.


cupalite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral of copper and aluminium, closely related to khatyrkite.


liroconite

(mineralogy) A complex vitreous monoclinic mineral, hydrated copper aluminium arsenate hydroxide, with a bright blue or green colour.


calaverite

From Calaveras + -ite. Named for Calaveras County, California, USA; where it was first discovered. From Spanish calavera.

(mineralogy) A mineral form of gold telluride (AuTe₂).


cafetite

cafetite (usually uncountable, plural cafetites)

(mineralogy) A rare titanium oxide mineral found in northern Russia.


ferrotantalite

ferrotantalite (usually uncountable, plural ferrotantalites)

(mineralogy) The iron-rich form of tantalite.


manganotantalite

manganotantalite (usually uncountable, plural manganotantalites)

(mineralogy) The manganese-rich form of tantalite.


tugtupite

tugtupite (usually uncountable, plural tugtupites)

(mineralogy) A rare beryllium-aluminium tectosilicate with a structure similar to that of sodalite.


whitlockite

whitlockite (usually uncountable, plural whitlockites)

From Whitlock + -ite, after Herbert Percy Whitlock (1868-1948), American mineralogist.

(mineralogy) A rare form of calcium phosphate.