species

en-noun

species (countable and uncountable, plural species or (rare, nonstandard) specieses)

species (plural)
specieses (nonstandard plural rare)

From Latin speciēs (“appearance; quality”), from speciō (“see”) + -iēs suffix signifying abstract noun. Doublet of spice.

(mineralogy) A mineral with a unique chemical formula whose crystals belong to a unique crystallographic system.

espècie

mineralogy: mineral with a unique chemical formula


pyrope

pyrope (countable and uncountable, plural pyropes)

From Latin pyrōpus, from Ancient Greek πυρωπός (purōpós, “fiery-eyed, fire-colored”), from Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye”); compare French pyrope.

der

(mineralogy) A variety of garnet, of a poppy or blood-red color, frequently with a tinge of orange. It is used as a gemstone.


pyrargyrite

en-noun

pyrargyrite (countable and uncountable, plural pyrargyrites)

From Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr, “fire”) + ἄργῠρος (árgŭros, “silver”).

(mineralogy) A sulfosalt mineral used as a silver ore; it is dark red or black in color with a metallic adamantine luster, a sulfide of antimony and silver, Ag₃SbS₃, and occurs in rhombohedral crystals.


sweet

en-adj

sweet (comparative sweeter, superlative sweetest)

sweeter (comparative)
sweetest (superlative)

nonsweet

antonym(s) of “containing a sweetening ingredient”

dry

of wines: retaining a portion of natural sugar

decaying

antonym(s) of “not decaying, fermented, rancid, sour, spoiled, or stale”

sour

antonym(s) of “free from excessive unwanted substances”

lame

antonym(s) of “(informal) very pleasing”

From Middle English swete, from Old English swēte (“sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *swōtī, from Proto-Germanic *swōtuz (“sweet”), from Proto-Indo-European *swéh₂dus (“sweet”).
Cognate and synonymous with Scots sweit (“sweet”), North Frisian sweete (“sweet”), Saterland Frisian swäit (“sweet”), West Frisian swiet (“sweet”), Dutch zoet (“sweet”), German Low German sööt (“sweet”), German süß (“sweet”), Danish sød (“sweet”), Swedish söt (“sweet”), Norwegian søt (“sweet”), Icelandic sætur (“sweet”), Latin suāvis, Sanskrit स्वादु (svādú), Ancient Greek ἡδύς (hēdús). Doublet of suave.

money won is twice as sweet as money earned

sweet gas

sweet soil

sweet crude oil

(mineralogy) Free from excessive unwanted substances like acid or sulphur.


simple

simple (comparative simpler or more simple, superlative simplest or most simple)

simpler (comparative)
more simple (comparative)
simplest (superlative)
most simple (superlative)

Inherited from Middle English symple, simple, from Old French and French simple, from Latin simplex (“simple”, literally “onefold”) (as opposed to duplex (“double”, literally “twofold”)), from semel (“the same”) + plicō (“I fold”). See same and fold. Compare single, singular, simultaneous, etc.
Partially displaced native English onefold.

der

(heading, technical) Structurally uncomplicated.


plasma

en-noun

plasma (countable and uncountable, plural plasmas or plasmata)

From Late Latin plasma (“mold”), from Ancient Greek πλάσμα (plásma, “something formed”).

der

human seminal plasma protein hypersensitivity

(mineralogy) A variety of green quartz, used in ancient times for making engraved ornaments.


datolite

datolites (plural)
datholite (alternative)

From Ancient Greek δατέομαι (datéomai, “to divide”) + -lite; in allusion to the granular structure of a massive variety.

uder

(mineralogy) A borosilicate of lime commonly occurring in glassy, greenish crystals, with the chemical formula CaBSiO₄(OH).


peach

Chlorite forms the characterizing ingredient in chlorite slate; it is common in Cornwall with the tin veins, constituting with quartz the rock commonly known there as killas; the ordinary name for chlorite is peach.

1858, Robert Philips Greg, Manual of the mineralogy of Great Britain & Ireland:

Peach, which is a word used by the Cornish miners, in a generic sense, to denote all minerals of the chloritic family—and is consequently a very convenient word—seems to be essentially the "mother" of tin; but the experience of Cornwall goes to show that peach alone does not produce a permanent tin mine: an intermixture of quartz is necessary to give what miners call "strength" to the lode.

1862, “Illustrated Notes on Prominent Mines”, in The Mining and Smelting Magazine, volume 2, page 17:

A quartz (sparry) vein, unless accompanied by other minerals such as peach, chlorite, &c., is considered valueless as an indication of the presence of ore.

1908, James Bastian Hill, The Geology of Falmouth and Truro and of the Mining District of Camborne and Redruth:

(mineralogy, obsolete, Cornwall) A particular rock found in tin mines, sometimes associated with chlorite.


jeffersonite

From Jefferson + -ite, after Thomas Jefferson.

(mineralogy) A zinc-containing variety of pyroxene of olive-green color passing into brown.


magnesia

en-noun

magnesia (countable and uncountable, plural magnesias)

From Middle English magnesia, from Late Latin magnesia, from Ancient Greek μαγνησία (magnēsía), after Μαγνησία (Magnēsía), a name of several cities (in Thessaly, Lydia, and Asia Minor). Doublet of Magnesia, magnesium, and manganese, and related to magnet.

doublet

The apocrenates of iron and manganese are slightly soluble; those of lime, magnesia and alumina are insoluble.

1875, Journal of the Bath and West of England Society and Southern Counties Association for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, volumes 7-8, page 133:


damourite

en-noun

damourite (countable and uncountable, plural damourites)

(mineralogy) A kind of muscovite, or potash mica, containing water.


tungsten

tungsten (countable and uncountable, plural tungstens)

tungstens (plural)
tungstenum (alternative)

→ Japanese: タングステン (tangusuten)

→ Malay: tungsten

→ Spanish: tungsteno

From Swedish tungsten (“scheelite”), from tung (“heavy”) + sten (“stone”).

We apprehend that this is not the acid of a calx ponderoſa, but rather a diſtinct acid conjoined to common calcareous earth, ſince, in fact, in another place, § 97, the tungſten is mentioned as a calx ſaturated with a peculiar acid, perhaps of a metallic nature, for which the author himſelf refers us to the above § 33, and ſeems to think it the ſame as the acid there mentioned.

1783, “[Review of] Outlines of Mineralogy”, in Monthly Review, volume LXX, number VII, page 47:

(mineralogy, obsolete) scheelite, calcium tungstate


argentine

argentine (countable and uncountable, plural argentines)

From Middle English argentyne, borrowed from Old French argentin (“silvery”), from Latin argentum (“silver”), equivalent to argent + -ine.

(mineralogy) A siliceous variety of calcite, or lime carbonate, having a silvery-white, pearly lustre, and a waving or curved lamellar structure.


jet

jet (countable and uncountable, plural jets)

jets (plural)
jeat (alternative)
jess (alternative)

→ German: Jett

From Middle English get, geet, gete, from a northern form of Old French jayet, jaiet, gaiet, from Latin gagātēs, from Ancient Greek Γαγάτης (Gagátēs), from Γάγας (Gágas, “a town and river in Lycia”). Doublet of gagate.

There is also a factitious jeat made of glaſs, in imitation of the mineral jeat.

1735, [John Barrow], “JEAT”, in Dictionarium Polygraphicum: Or, The Whole Body of Arts Regularly Digested. […], volume II (I–S), London: […] C[harles] Hitch and C[harles] Davis […], and S[amuel] Austen […], →OCLC:

(mineralogy) A hard, black form of coal, sometimes used in jewellery.


laurite

After Laura R. Joy, wife of American chemist C. A. Joy. Named in 1866.

(mineralogy) A rare sulphide of osmium and ruthenium found with platinum in Borneo and Oregon, with the chemical formula RuS₂.


laumontite

laumontite (usually uncountable, plural laumontites)

laumontites (plural)
laumonite (alternative)

Named after the discoverer François Pierre Nicholas Gillet de Laumont (1747–1834) as lomonite, renamed as laumonite in 1809 and as laumontite in 1821. + -ite

(mineralogy) A mineral, of a white color and vitreous luster, with the chemical formula CaAl₂Si₄O₁₂·4H₂O. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and lime. Exposed to the air, it loses water, becomes opaque, and crumbles.


agate

agate (countable and uncountable, plural agates)

From Middle French agathe, from Latin achatēs, from Ancient Greek ἀχάτης (akhátēs, “agate”).

The ends of the veil, drawn over her head, were embroidered with silver; she had long gold ear-rings; to a rich and large gold chain was suspended a cross set with precious stones; and over the arm of her chair hung a rosary of agate beads.

1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 9:

Yes: living among the cohabations^([sic]) of Faust himself, among the litharge and agate and hyacinth and pearls.

1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, page 86:

(countable, uncountable, mineralogy) A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in the same specimen, with colors delicately arranged and often curved in parallel alternating dark and light stripes or bands, or blended in clouds; various authorities call it a variety of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, or a combination of the two.


native

en-adj

native (comparative more native, superlative most native)

more native (comparative)
most native (superlative)
natiue (alternative)
natyf (alternative)

foreign

born or grown in the region in which it is found

Inherited from Middle English natif, from Old French natif, from Latin nātīvus, from nātus (“birth”). Doublet of naive and neif.

native aluminium

native salt

(mineralogy) Occurring naturally in its pure or uncombined form.

luonnollinen

mineralogy: occurring naturally in its pure or uncombined form


cacoxenite

From Ancient Greek κακός (kakós, “bad”) + ξένος (xénos, “guest”) because the phosphorous content of cacoxenite lessens the quality of iron smelted from ore containing it.

(inorganic chemistry, mineralogy) A soft phosphate of iron occurring in yellowish clumps: hydrated iron aluminum phosphate oxide: (Fe,Al)₂₅(PO₄)₁₇O₆(OH)₁₂·17H₂O.


adamite

Named after French mineralogist Gilbert Joseph Adam (1795-1881) in 1866.

(mineralogy) A zinc arsenate hydroxide mineral, Zn₂AsO₄OH.


paste

en-noun

paste (countable and uncountable, plural pastes)

→ Cebuano: pasta

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der.
Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō)
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Ancient Greek -τός (-tós)
Ancient Greek παστός (pastós)
Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor.
Late Latin pasta
Old French pastebor.
Middle English paste
English paste
From Middle English paste, from Old French paste (modern pâte), from Late Latin pasta, from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá). Doublet of pasta. The verb is from the noun. Middle English had pasten (“to make a paste of; bake in a pastry”), also from the noun; compare Latin pistō and Medieval Latin pastillātus.

etymon

(mineralogy) The mineral substance in which other minerals are embedded.


azurite

/ˈæʒ.əˌɹaɪt/

/ˈæʒ.(j)ʊəɹˌaɪt/

/ˈæʒ(j)ʊˌɹaɪt/

From Persian لاژورد (lâžvard, “blue color”).

(mineralogy) A blue vitreous mineral; a basic hydrated copper carbonate, with the chemical formula Cu²⁺₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂, used since antiquity as a blue pigment or ores to extract metallic copper.


axinite

en-noun

axinite (countable and uncountable, plural axinites)

(mineralogy) A borosilicate of aluminum, iron, and lime, commonly found in glassy, brown crystals with acute edges.


aventurine

aventurine (countable and uncountable, plural aventurines)

aventurines (plural)
adventurine (alternative)
avanturine (alternative)
aventurin (alternative)

/əˈvɛn.t͡ʃə.ɹɪn/

/əˈvɛn.t͡ʃə.ɹɪn/

/əˈvɛn.t͡ʃəˌɹin/

Borrowed from French aventurine, from Italian avventurino, from avventurare (“to venture; to make lucky or prosperous”), from avventura (“chance; adventure, venture”) + -are (suffix forming the infinitive of most regular verbs), apparently so named because it was discovered by accident in Murano, Italy, when brass or copper filings were dropped into melted glass (see, however, the 1843 quotation).

The Sandaresus, an Arabian stone, classed by Pliny [the Elder] among the Carbunculi, seems to have been our Aventurine, for he describes it as full of golden stars shining through a transparent substance, not from the surface, but from within the body of the stone. The true Aventurine, or Goldie-stone, is a brownish semi-transparent quartz, full of specks of yellow mica.

1860, C[harles] W[illiam] King, “Aventurine”, in Antique Gems: Their Origin, Uses, and Value as Interpreters of Ancient History; and as Illustrative of Ancient Art: With Hints to Gem Collectors, London: John Murray, […], section I (Materials), page 63:

Aventurine is a variety of grainy quartz,—not quarts of rye whiskey, which there is too much of a venture in,—but quartz of silica, gold-spangled throughout with flakes of yellow mica. [...] There are two kinds of natural aventurine; the one with its spangles of yellow mica is well known as Muscovite talc. It was found on the shores of the White Sea in old times, and is now met with often in the mines of Silesia, in Bohemia, in France, and in Siberia. The other variety, more highly esteemed, is found in Spain and in Scotland. [...] Dealers have given the name of aventurine to a species of feldspar having the same external characteristics, and sold for the genuine, though a much softer stone. Such dealers are not honest.

1872 July, George S. Burleigh, “Precious Stones. IX. Aventurine and Lapis-lazuli.”, in Oliver Optic [pseudonym; William Taylor Adams], editor, Oliver Optic’s Magazine. Our Boys and Girls, volume XII, number 228, Boston, Mass.: Lee and Shepard, publishers; New York, N.Y.: Lee, Shepard and Dillingham, →OCLC, page 477, column 2:

[F]rom out the silken curtain-folds / Bare-footed and bare-headed three fair girls / In gilt and rosy raiment came: their feet / In dewy grasses glisten'd; and the hair / All over glanced with dewdrop or with gem / Like sparkles in the stone Avanturine.

1874, Alfred Tennyson, “Gareth and Lynette”, in Idylls of the King (The Works of Alfred Tennyson; V), cabinet edition, London: Henry S. King & Co., […], →OCLC, page 73:

During this period of two centuries little colour was employed in the lacquer-work, but much gold was used; and those particular kinds of work in which "clouded" gold effects, avanturines, and tesselated gold are introduced, as well as low-relief modelling of a most perfect kind, were invented and brought to a high state of perfection.

1882, Christopher Dresser, “The Lacquer Manufactures”, in Japan: Its Architecture, Art, and Art Manufactures, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, pages 346–347:

Quartz with spangled inclusions is known as aventurine. The included minerals are scales of shiny mica or hematite. The most familiar aventurine is of a reddish-yellow color and has a coppery sheen. Only small quantities of aventurine have been found in the United States.

1957, Dorothy M[cKenney] Schlegel, “Semiprecious Gems”, in Gem Stones of the United States (Contributions to Economic Geology; Geological Survey Bulletin; 1042-G), Washington, D.C.: Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior; United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 222:

He stood up and gloomily opened a little silver-gilt box, its lid studded with aventurines. It was full of violet sweetmeats; he took one, feeling it with his fingers as he reflected upon the strange properties of this bonbon whose sugar-coating looked like hoar-frost; [...]

1998, Joris-Karl Huysmans, chapter 9, in Margaret Mauldon, transl., edited by Nicholas White, Against Nature (A rebours) (Oxford World’s Classics), Oxford, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 84:

Aventurin is also the name of a variety of quartz spangled with mica or other shiny mineral. A variety of spangled feldspar, found especially in Russia, and when polished used as a gem and highly prized, is also called Aventurin or popularly "sunstone".

2003, “The Mineral Kingdom. Dictionary of Gems, Jewels, Precious Metals and Minerals, with Their Significance and Use in the Superstition and Folklore of All Countries”, in Cora Linn Daniels, C[harles] M[acClellan] Stevans, editors, Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World: […], volume II, Honolulu, Hi.: University Press of the Pacific, →ISBN, page 724, column 1:

When I pulled off the lid, I found a leather bracelet inside. Its center held a pretty brass flower, painted white with soft pink tips on the petals, just like clover. On either side of the brass clover flower, one of the bracelet's leather strands had been strung with shimmering green rocks. "Those are aventurines," Peavine said when I touched one smooth stone. "They're for courage and luck. You got a lot of the first, but I figured you could use some of the second."

2015, Susan Vaught, “Three Weeks Later”, in Footer Davis Might be Probably is Crazy (A Paula Wiseman Book), New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, →ISBN, pages 226–227:

(mineralogy, by extension) A variety of translucent quartz, spangled throughout with scales of yellow mica.


aciculite

From Latin acicula, diminutive of acus (“needle”).

(mineralogy) A sulfide of bismuth, lead, and copper.


soap

soap (countable and uncountable, plural soaps)

Sranan Tongo: sopo

→ Kari'na: sopo

→ Trió: sopo

→ Wayana: sopu

Tok Pisin: sop

→ Ajië: yööpö

→ Bemba: isopo

desctree

→ Burmese: ဆပ်ပြာ (hcappra)
→ Shan: သပ်ႉပျႃႇ (sâ̰p pjàa)

→ Chichewa: sopo

→ Dutch: soap

→ French: soap

→ German: Soap

→ Irish: sópa

→ Malayalam: സോപ്പ് (sōppŭ)

→ Maori: hopi

→ Marshallese: joob

→ Palauan: sob

→ Pohnpeian: sohpw

→ Tamil: சோப்பு (cōppu)

→ Teribe: söp

→ West Uvean: sop

desc

→ Xârâcùù: söpö

→ Xârâcùù: söpö

From Middle English sope, sape, from Old English sāpe (“soap, salve”), from Proto-West Germanic *saipā, from Proto-Germanic *saipǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *seyb-, *seyp- (“to pour out, drip, trickle, strain”).
Cognate with Scots saip, sape (“soap”), Saterland Frisian Seepe (“soap”), West Frisian sjippe (“soap”), Dutch zeep (“soap”), German Low German Seep (“soap”), German Seife (“soap”), Danish sæbe (“soap”), Swedish såpa (“soap”), Norwegian Bokmål såpe (“soap”), Norwegian Nynorsk såpe (“soap”), Faroese sápa (“soap”), Icelandic sápa (“soap”), Finnish saippua (“soap”), Finnish suopa (“soft soap”). Related also to Old English sāp (“amber, resin, pomade, unguent”), Latin sēbum (“tallow, fat, grease”). See seep. Latin sāpō (“soap”) is a borrowing from the Germanic.

cog

I tried washing my hands with soap, but the stain wouldn't go away.

(countable, uncountable, informal, by extension, mineralogy) Some other substance, often a detergent or another surfactant, able to mix with both oil and water, used for cleaning.


bloom

en-noun

bloom (countable and uncountable, plural blooms)

From Middle English blome, from Old Norse blóm, from Proto-Germanic *blōmô (“flower”). Doublet of bloom (“spongy mass of metal”); see there for more.

the rose-red cobalt bloom

(mineralogy) A bright-hued variety of some minerals.

kukka

mineralogy: a popular term for a bright-hued variety of some minerals


cleavage

cleavage (countable and uncountable, plural cleavages)

Notice that cleavage has nothing to do with imperfections in the crystal. Indeed, if you try cleaving an imperfect crystal, you may find that it cannot be cleaved as well as a perfect one. The cleavage is the result of the orderliness of the atomic arrangement. No wonder imperfections, which disturb the orderliness, disturb the cleavage as well. You will also note that the cleavage directions are obedient to the symmetry of the crystal.

1982, Alan Holden, Phylis Morrison, “Cleaving and Gliding Crystals”, in Crystals and Crystal Growing, Cambridge, Mass., London: MIT Press, →ISBN, page 202:

(mineralogy) The tendency of a crystal to split along specific planes; schistosity.

цепимост

mineralogy: tendency of a crystal to split


sandarac

sandarac (countable and uncountable, plural sandaracs)

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

From Latin sandaraca, from Ancient Greek σανδαράκη (sandarákē, “realgar”).

der

(mineralogy, archaic) Realgar; red sulphide of arsenic.


morion

From French morion, from Late Latin mōrion, a misreading in some manuscripts for Latin mormoriōn.

(mineralogy) A brown or black variety of quartz.


garnet

en-noun

garnet (countable and uncountable, plural garnets)

From Middle English gernet, granate, from Old French grenate, from grenat (“pomegranate red”). Doublet of grenade.

How many needles Betty Flanders had lost there! and her garnet brooch.

1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room, Vintage Classics, page 127:

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A hard transparent mineral that is often used as gemstones and abrasives.


beryl

beryl (countable and uncountable, plural beryls)

Inherited from Middle English beryl, from Old French beril, from Latin bērillus, bēryllus, from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος (bḗrullos, “beryl”).

der

The sunset had been magnificent, and the Thames was floating in dark radiance; the waves wearing that transparent clearness, which gives more the idea of melted beryl, than aught else: every little circle in the water had that trembling light which characterises precious stones.

1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Fête”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 57:

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.

(uncountable, mineralogy) A mineral of pegmatite deposits, often used as a gemstone (molecular formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈).


epigenetic

/ˌɛpɪd͡ʒəˈnɛtɪk/

(genetics, mineralogy) Of or relating to epigenesis.


augite

en-noun

augite (countable and uncountable, plural augites)

(mineralogy) A variety of pyroxene, usually of a black or dark green color, occurring in igneous rocks, such as basalt.


corona

corona (plural coronas or coronae or (obsolete) coronæ)

coronas (plural)
coronae (plural)
coronæ (obsolete plural)

→ Japanese: コロナ (korona)

The noun is borrowed from Latin corōna (“crown; garland, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). The English word is a doublet of crown, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone.
The plural form coronae is borrowed from Latin corōnae.
The verb is derived from the noun.

laki

upper or crownlike portion of certain parts of the body

kruunu

appendage of an organism that resembles a crown or corona

Green hornblende is abundant at the rims of chlorite coronas in contact with amphibole-filled cracks, whereas it is minor (but not absent) in coronas in contact with chlorite-filled cracks.

2017, J. Theo Kloprogge, Robert Lavinsky, “Introduction: Geological Examples”, in Photo Atlas of Mineral Pseudomorphism, Amsterdam, Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Elsevier, →ISBN, figure 1.45 caption, page 67:

(mineralogy) A mineral zone, consisting of one or more minerals, which surrounds another mineral or lies at the interface of two minerals, typically in a radial arrangement; a reaction rim.

sauma

mineral zone which surrounds another mineral or lies at the interface of two minerals


galena

en-noun

galena (usually uncountable, plural galenas or galenae)

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

From Latin galēna (“dross from smelting lead”).

der

You can easily extract lead from galena, a natural mineral which has been used in crystal radio receivers.

1939 November, Raymond B. Wailes, “Chemical Engineering for Home Experimenters”, in Popular Science, page 207:

1942, G. F. Loughlin, A. H. Koschmann, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Magdalena Mining District, New Mexico, Geological Survey Professional Paper, Issue 200, page 98,
The galena of the ore contains microscopic inclusions of various forms that become visible upon polished surfaces etched with hydrochloric or nitric acid.

These samples had higher Pb²⁰⁶ and Pb²⁰⁸ abundances than any other galenas yet examined.

1953, “Report of the Committee on the Measurement of Geologic Time”, in U.S, National Research Council, page 132:

Very little galena has been reported (recovered mostly from burial mounds) in the Great Lakes region indicating that the mineral was not a major interregional exchange commodity during this period. However, numerous galenas have been recovered from the lower Mississippi Valley region and Florida indicating that galena was part of an important north-south exchange system (Walthall 1981).

2008, Sanghamitra Ghosh, Heavy Stable Isotope Investigations in Environmental Science and Archaeology, page 77:

(mineralogy) A mineral, lead sulphide (PbS), mined as an ore for lead.


halite

en-noun

halite (countable and uncountable, plural halites)

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

From Ancient Greek ἅλς (háls, “salt”), + -ite.

(mineralogy) Native salt; sodium chloride NaCl as a mineral; rock salt.


irised

From iris + -ed; as a synonym of iridescent and irisated, perhaps a calque of French irisé.

Heat decomposes this ammoniacal sulphure: in a certain space of time, a great many small irised needles, a line or two in length, are formed in it: they appear to be concrete ammoniacal sulphure in crystals.

1790, Antoine-François de Fourcroy, translated by William Nicholson, Elements of Natural History and Chemistry, London: C. Elliot and T. Kay, Part 2, Chapter 4, p. 143:

Yellow and irised quartz also occurs in mica slat in Fitchburg.

1833, Edward Hitchcock, Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany, and Zoology of Massachusetts, Amherst: J.S. and C. Adams, page 344:

(mineralogy, chemistry, obsolete) Exhibiting the prismatic colours.


mica

mica (countable and uncountable, plural micas)

Borrowed from Latin mīca (“grain, crumb”).

His little eyes glittered like mica discs with curiosity, though he tried to keep up a bit of superciliousness.

1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 214:

(mineralogy) Any of a group of hydrous aluminosilicate minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic.

雲母

うんも, unmo, うんぼ, unbo, きらら, kirara, きら, kira


onyx

onyx (countable and uncountable, plural onyxes)

From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.

People talk about using marble in the bathrooms. Marble wasn't good enough for use—we have onyx!

2023 September 23, Tom Robbins, “Suite dreams”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 1:

(mineralogy) A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.


opal

In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”). Distantly related to over.

أُوبَال

a mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O.

(gemology) A precious gem, an iridescent gemstone found in the opal-silica mineral substrate (potch)


pluton

(mineralogy) A body of igneous rock formed beneath the surface of the earth by consolidation of magma


pyrite

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

Recorded since 1555, from Old French pyrite (12th century), from Latin pȳritēs, from Ancient Greek πυρίτης λίθος (purítēs líthos, “stone of fire, flint”) (so called because it glitters), notably the first part: adjective πυρίτης (purítēs, “of or in fire”), from πῦρ (pûr, “fire”). Analyzable as pyr- + -ite

der

πυρίτης λίθος

China's 13 large foreign fertilizer plants ordered a few years ago are all scheduled to be in operation in a year or two.[…]China's biggest pyrite mine (openpit), being built in Yunfu, Kwangtung Province, was near completion.

1978 November 9, K. P. Wang, “China's Mineral Economy”, in Chinese Economy Post-Mao: A Compendium of Papers, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 387:

(mineralogy) The common mineral iron disulfide (FeS₂), of a pale brass-yellow color and brilliant metallic luster, crystallizing in the isometric system.


rutile

en-noun

rutile (countable and uncountable, plural rutiles)

From Latin rutilus (“red”) because of its common color, named in 1803.

(mineralogy) The most frequent of the three polymorphs of titanium dioxide, crystalizing in the tetragonal system, TiO₂.

рутил

the most frequent of the three polymorphs of titanium dioxide


spar

spar (countable and uncountable, plural spars)

→ Irish: sparra

→ Welsh: sbar

From Middle Low German spar, sper (“spar”); or from a backformation of sparstone (“spar”), from Middle English sparston (“gypsum, chalk”), from Old English spærstān (“gypsum”). Related to German Sparkalk (“plaster”), Old English spæren (“of plaster, of mortar”).

cog

(mineralogy) Any of various microcrystalline minerals, of light, translucent, or transparent appearance, which are easily cleft.

(mineralogy) Any crystal with readily discernible faces.

espat

any crystal with readily discernible faces


hircine

First attested in its present form in 1650–1660: From Middle English hircyne, from Latin hircīnus (“of a goat”, “goat-scented”); equivalent to hircus (“a male goat”) + -īnus (“-ine”). Cognate with French hircin. Compare caprine, haedine.

der

(mineralogy) A fossil amorphous resin which, when burnt, gives off a pungent, hircinous aroma.


sard

en-noun

sard (countable and uncountable, plural sards)

From Middle English sarde, borrowed from Old French sarde, from Latin sarda, sardius. Doublet of sardius.

(mineralogy) A variety of carnelian, of a rich reddish yellow or brownish red color.


segregation

segregation (countable and uncountable, plural segregations)

/sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/

1555. From Latin segregatio.
Morphologically segregate + -ion

сегрегация

politics, public policy — see also apartheid

(mineralogy) Separation from a mass, and gathering about centers or into cavities at hand through cohesive or adhesive attraction or the crystallizing process.


clinozoisite

clinozoisite (countable and uncountable, plural clinozoisites)

(mineralogy) A basic calcium aluminosilicate found in crystalline schists, a metamorphic product of calcium feldspar.


argentite

argentite (countable and uncountable, plural argentites)

/ˈɑːdʒənˌtaɪt/

(mineralogy) Silver sulfide, (Ag₂S), a primary ore of silver, in cubic or hexoctahedral crystals.


chalcocite

chalcocite (countable and uncountable, plural chalcocites)

Their croppings are either entirely barren or contain only a moderate amount of copper, but much richer ore is ordinarily found just above the chalcocite zone.

1905, Waldemar Lindgren, The Copper Deposits of the Clifton-Morenci District, Arizona, page 207:

(mineralogy) Cuprous sulfide, Cu₂S, an important ore of copper.


feldspar

feldspar (countable and uncountable, plural feldspars)

feldspars (plural)
felspar (alternative)

Partial calque of German Feldspat, formed from Feld (“field”) + Spat (“spar”), the second element replaced with the English cognate spar.

(mineralogy) Any of a large group of rock-forming minerals that, together, make up about 60% of the earth's outer crust.

veldspaat

any of a large group of rock-forming minerals


orthoclase

orthoclase (countable and uncountable, plural orthoclases)

(mineralogy) Potassium aluminum silicate, KAlSi₃O₈, a common feldspar of igneous, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks. Orthoclase is the main feldspar of pegmatite occurrences, where it is most commonly flesh-colored. Orthoclase is used in the ceramic and glass industries and as a decorative gravel.


sanidine

sanidine (countable and uncountable, plural sanidines)

From Ancient Greek σανίς (sanís, “board”) + -ine.

(mineralogy) A variety of orthoclase feldspar found as tabular crystals embedded in volcanic rocks. Some forms (called moonstone) exhibit adularescence.


adularia

Named for the type locality at Adular, Switzerland.

(mineralogy) A variety of orthoclase feldspar found as colorless to white prismatic crystals in cavities in metamorphic rocks. Some specimens reflect a bluish sheen along crystal faces. This phenomenon is called adularescence, and adularia with this property is called moonstone. (See sanidine).


microcline

microcline (countable and uncountable, plural microclines)

(mineralogy) A common feldspar of igneous, plutonic, and metamorphic rocks, made of potassium aluminum silicate, with the chemical formula KAlSi₃O₈.


plagioclase

plagioclase (usually uncountable, plural plagioclases)

From plagio- + -clase, after German Plagioklas.

These crystals are of one of the most abundant minerals in nature – feldspar; furthermore, they are of a particular kind of feldspar rich in the element calcium, termed plagioclase.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 51:

(mineralogy) Any of a group of aluminum silicate feldspathic minerals ranging in their ratio of calcium to sodium.


albite

From Latin albus (“white”), the common color of the mineral, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A plagioclase feldspar, the first member of the Albite-Anorthite solid solution series.


oligoclase

oligoclase (usually uncountable, plural oligoclases)

(mineralogy) A plagioclase feldspar, the second member of the Albite-Anorthite solid solution series. Primarily found as small crystals in impure marble. Oligoclase contains a small amount of calcium substituting for some of the sodium in its formula. Oligoclase with reddish-golden inclusions found in Norway and Canada is called sunstone.


andesine

andesine (countable and uncountable, plural andesines)

From Andes + -ine, after its type locality in the Andes of Colombia.

(mineralogy) Sodium calcium aluminum silicate, (Na_xCa_xAlSi_3O_8), a plagioclase feldspar, the third member of the albite-anorthite solid solution series. Found in fine-grained andesite lavas; crystals are rarely seen.


labradorite

labradorite (usually uncountable, plural labradorites)

/ˈlæb.ɹəˌdɔɹˌaɪt/

/ˌlæb.ɹəˈdɔɹˌaɪt/

(mineralogy) A plagioclase feldspar mineral, calcium sodium aluminum silicate, often very coarsely crystalline, used as a decorative stone for carvings and building façades.


bytownite

bytownite (usually uncountable, plural bytownites)

From Bytown + -ite, named for the type locality in Bytown (now Ottawa), Canada, but this locality was later discredited. The name, however, was kept.

(mineralogy) A plagioclase feldspar, the fifth member of the Albite-Anorthite solid solution series. Bytownite is rare, and normally occurs in small grains in lime-rich igneous rocks. Clear pale yellow crystals have come from Mexico and Oregon.


anorthite

anorthite (countable and uncountable, plural anorthites)

From Ancient Greek αν- (an-, “not”) + ὀρθός (orthós, “straight”) "not perpendicular; less than straight", in reference to its odd.

(mineralogy) A variety of plagioclase feldspar, the calcium endmember of that series.


metamorphic

(mineralogy) A rock that has been changed from its original form by subjection to heat and/or pressure.


feldspathoid

feldspathoid (countable and uncountable, plural feldspathoids)

feldspathoids (plural)
foid (alternative)

From German Feldspath (“feldspar”) + -oid.

(mineralogy) Any of a small group of igneous, plutonic, and volcanic minerals formed in magma that did not contain enough silica to satisfy all the chemical bonds. Feldspathoids are silica-poor variants of the feldspar group.


leucite

leucite (countable and uncountable, plural leucites)

From Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”) + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of silica-poor igneous, plutonic and volcanic rocks. Chemically, leucite is a potassium feldspar with insufficient silica to satisfy the chemical bonds. Because of the unfilled bonds, leucite weathers rapidly and can only be seen as inclusions in freshly broken rock.


nepheline

nepheline (countable and uncountable, plural nephelines)

From Ancient Greek νεφέλη (nephélē, “cloud”), because crystals become cloudy when exposed to acid, + -ine.

(mineralogy) A feldspathoid mineral of silica-poor igneous, plutonic and volcanic rocks. Chemically, nepheline is a plagioclase feldspar with insufficient silica to satisfy the chemical bonds. Because of the unfilled bonds, nepheline weathers rapidly and can only be seen as inclusions in freshly broken rock.


quartz

quartz (countable and uncountable, plural quartzes)

→ Malay: kuarza

From German Quarz, from Middle High German (Central East German) quarz, twarc, from a West Slavic language [compare Polish twardy (“hard”), Czech tvrdý (“hard”)], from Proto-Slavic *tvьrdъ.

The telescope and collimator have each an object-glass consisting of a single lens of quartz 1½ inch diameter and a focal length of 18½ inches for the sodium yellow light, but not more than 16 inches for the highest rays measured.

1883, George Downing Liveing, James Dewar, “On the Ultra-Violet Spectra of the Elements”, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, volume 174, Barrison and Sons, part I, page 188:

Subsequently, the old Malay brought him the present specimen in a state of torpidity, telling him he had found it in a cavity of the quartz reef.

1892 April 5, Armiger Barczinsky, “The Golden Snail”, in Sylvanus Urban (pseudonym of Edward Cave), editor, The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 272, page 331:

My meat eats me. Who waits at the gate? / Mother of quartz, your words writhe into my ear. / Renew the light, lewd whisper.

1948, Theodore Roethke, “The Shape of the Fire”, in The Lost Son and Other Poems, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 62:

(mineralogy) The most abundant mineral on the earth's surface, of chemical composition silicon dioxide, SiO₂. It occurs in a variety of forms, both crystalline and amorphous. Found in every environment.


morganite

morganite (countable and uncountable, plural morganites)

(mineralogy) A gemstone of pegmatite deposits. Morganite is a transparent pink variety of beryl.


silica group

(mineralogy) A large group of silicate minerals having a silicon to oxygen ratio of 1:2. This group includes many silicates of sodium, potassium, calcium, and aluminum in an open network structure.


tridymite

tridymite (countable and uncountable, plural tridymites)

The name refers to the peculiar habit of crystallizing in groups of three individuals.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral of volcanic rocks that solidified at a high temperature, with the chemical composition silicon dioxide, SiO₂. Tridymite is chemically identical to quartz, but has a different crystal structure. Sometimes contains sodium aluminum silicate, which seems to be expelled when quartz solidifies at lower temperatures.


cristobalite

cristobalite (countable and uncountable, plural cristobalites)

Named for the type locality at Cerro San Cristóbal, Mexico, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral of volcanic rocks that solidified at a high temperature. Cristobalite is chemically identical to quartz, with the chemical formula SiO₂, but has a different crystal structure. Crystals are always microscopic, and usually form small rounded masses.


sodalite

sodalite (countable and uncountable, plural sodalites)

Named for the alkaline silicate composition.

(mineralogy) A mineral of alkaline igneous and plutonic rocks that are low in silica, of the chemical composition of sodium aluminum silicate with chlorine, Na₄Al₃Si₃O₁₂Cl. Pink sodalite is sometimes called hackmanite. Sodalite and lazurite form the sodalite Group of silicate minerals.


lazurite

lazurite (usually uncountable, plural lazurites)

From Medieval Latin lazur (“lapis lazuli”) (from Arabic لَازَوَرْد (lāzaward), from Persian لاژورد (lâžvard)) + -ite.

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

(mineralogy) A mineral of metamorphosed limestones. Lazurite forms the gemstone lapis lazuli, and crushed lazurite provided the ultramarine color in artists' paint of the Old Masters. Sodalite and lazurite form the sodalite group of silicate minerals. Chemical composition: Sodium aluminum silicate with sulphur, Na₄₋₅Al₃Si₃O₁₂S.


tellurian

[tʰəˈlɝː.iː.ɨ̃n]

From Latin tellūs (“earth, ground; the globe, planet Earth; country, land”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“ground, bottom”), + -ian (suffix meaning "from, related to, or like" when forming an adjective, or "one from, belonging to, relating to, or like" when forming a noun).

suffix

The tellurian mineral from Goldfield, Nevada, described originally as goldfieldite by Ransome (1909), was proven to be tellurian tennantite by X-ray powder diffraction (Thompson 1946).

1986, Katsuo Kase, “Tellurian Tennantite from the Besshi-type Deposits in the Sambagawa Metamorphic Belt, Japan”, in The Canadian Mineralogist, volume 24, number 2, page 400, column 1:

(mineralogy) Of a mineral: containing tellurium.


inclusion

en-noun

inclusion (countable and uncountable, plural inclusions)

inclusions (plural)
enclusion (alternative)

Borrowed from Latin inclusio, inclusionis, from the verb Latin inclūdō (“to shut in, enclose, insert”), from in- (“in”) + claudō (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”). By surface analysis, include + -sion. Doublet of enclosure.

der

The fewer inclusions a diamond has, the better is its clarity and value. Often the inclusions can be cut out of a diamond in the rough.

2009, Cindy Lasiter, Diamonds in the Rough, Xulon Press, →ISBN, page xi:

(countable, mineralogy) Any material that is trapped inside a mineral during its formation, as a defect in a precious stone.


asbestos

en-noun

asbestos (countable and uncountable, plural asbestoses or (rare) asbesti)

asbestoses (plural)
asbesti (plural rare)
asbestus (alternative)

From Old French abestos, from Latin asbestos, itself from Ancient Greek ἄσβεστος (ásbestos, “unquenchable, inextinguishable”), from ᾰ̓- (ă-, “not”) + σβέννῡμῐ (sbénnūmĭ, “I quench, quell”).

der

All types of asbestos are potentially carcinogenic when inhaled.

Asbestos insulation was once ubiquitous.

Consul Baker, of Antung, China, states that valuable deposits of asbestos have been found in the vicinity of Kuantien, a small town lying about 45 miles northeast of Antung.[…]There are three mines now in operation, each employing about 30 workers. These workers, however, are mostly farmers who devote only their spare time to mining and use simply hammers and chisels and gather only the asbestos which lies near the surface.

1913 February, “Asbestos Mines in China”, in Mines and Minerals, volume XXXIII, number 7, Scranton, PA, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 398, column 3:

Insulation against sound and changes in external temperature is given by a thickness of asbestos on the inside of the panels.

1946 November and December, “New L.M.S.R. Royal Coaches”, in Railway Magazine, page 371:

(mineralogy) Any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate, used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, building materials, brake linings, chemical filters, suits, fireman's gloves, etc.

asbes

any of several fibrous mineral forms of magnesium silicate

blue asbestos

(forms of magnesium silicate): serpentine: parachrysotile, amianthus, common asbestos, chrysotile; amphibole

(mineralogy) Any of asbestos-like forms of several minerals, asbestiforms


magnetite

From magnet + -ite, after German Magnetit.

Coordinate term: hematite

Appropriately enough, the commonest of these, a simple iron oxide, is called magnetite.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 137:

(mineralogy) A magnetic mineral, Fe₃O₄, one of the primary ores of iron.


pitchblende

en-noun

pitchblende (countable and uncountable, plural pitchblendes)

From German Pechblende, from Pech (“pitch”) + Blende (“blende”).

Working in Paris in 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie processed thousands of pounds of pitchblende from the same glass-factory tailings in order to isolate two radioactive elements that had hitherto been unknown: radium and polonium.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 205:

(mineralogy) Naturally-occurring uranium oxide, a variety of the mineral uraninite.


heliotrope

heliotrope (countable and uncountable, plural heliotropes)

PIE word
 *sóh₂wl̥
The noun is borrowed from French héliotrope, from Latin hēliotropium (“plant which turns to face the sun; bloodstone”), from Ancient Greek ἡλῐοτρόπῐον (hēlĭotrópĭon, “European heliotrope (Heliotropium europaeum); bloodstone; solar clock, sundial”), from ἥλῐος (hḗlĭos, “the sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“the sun”)) + τρόπος (trópos, “a turn”) (from τρέπω (trépō, “to rotate; to turn”) (from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to turn”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming nouns from verbs)) + -ῐον (-ĭon, diminutive suffix forming nouns).
The French-derived spelling displaced Middle English elitrope, eliotropius, elitropium (“plant which turns to face the sun; bloodstone”) [and other forms], from Old English eliotropus, from Latin hēliotropium (see above); and Old English siġelhweorfa, sōlsece, and sunnfolgend (“heliotrope flower”).
Sense 6 (“synonym of bloodstone”) is from the fact that a piece of the mineral placed in water is said to change the sun’s rays to a blood-red colour: see the 1601 quotation.
The adjective is probably derived from the noun.

ref

From the B. A. Colonna collection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.A.

nb...

eliscrope, eliotropia, elitrepie, elitropius

heliotropi

plant with flowers which turn to face and follow the sun

garden heliotrope

Heliotropium arborescens or Valeriana officinalis

The pretious ſtone Heliotropium, is found in Æthiopia, Affricke, and Cyprus: the ground thereof is a deepe greene in manner of a leeke, but the ſame is garniſhed vvith veins of bloud: the reaſon of the name Heliotropium is this, For that if it be throvvne into a paile of vvater, it chaungeth the raies of the Sun by vvay of reverberation into a bloudie colour, eſpecially that vvhich commeth out of Æthiopia: the ſame beeing vvithout the vvater, doth repreſent the bodie of the Sun, like unto a mirroir:[…]

[1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXXVII.] Of Certaine Gems Digested in Order According to the Alphabet.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 2nd tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 627:

Amid this dread exuberance of woe / Ran naked spirits wing'd with horrid fear, / Nor hope had they of crevice where to hide, / Or heliotrope to charm them out of view.

1814, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XXIV”, in H[enry] F[rancis] Cary, transl., The Vision; or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, of Dante Alighieri. […], volume I (Hell), London: […] [J. Barfield] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 104, lines 89–92:

(countable, uncountable, mineralogy) Synonym of bloodstone (“a green chalcedony that is sprinkled with red spots or veins of hematite”)

heliotrop

synonym of bloodstone — see also bloodstone


mimic

From Latin mīmicus, from Ancient Greek μῑμικός (mīmikós, “belonging to mimes”), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”); see mime.

uder

(mineralogy) Imitative; characterized by resemblance to other forms; applied to crystals which by twinning resemble simple forms of a higher grade of symmetry.


cleave

en-verb

cleave (third-person singular simple present cleaves, present participle cleaving, simple past cleft or clove or (UK) cleaved or (archaic) clave, past participle cleft or cloven or (UK) cleaved)

cleaves (present singular third-person)
cleaving (participle present)
cleft (past)
clove (past)
cleaved (UK past)
clave (archaic past)
cleft (participle past)
cloven (participle past)
cleaved (UK participle past)

From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan (“to split, to separate”), from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, to slice”).
Doublet of clive. Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, Norwegian Nynorsk kløyva; also Ancient Greek γλύφω (glúphō, “carve”).

der

(transitive, mineralogy) To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces.

(intransitive, mineralogy) Of a crystal, to split along a natural plane of division.


carbonated

en-adj

carbonated (comparative more carbonated, superlative most carbonated)

more carbonated (comparative)
most carbonated (superlative)

(mineralogy) Containing calcium carbonate, often as a result of mineral carbonation.


striation

en-noun

striation (countable and uncountable, plural striations)

(countable, mineralogy) One of a number of parallel grooves and ridges in a rock or rocky deposit, formed by repeated twinning or cleaving of crystals.


polysynthetic

en-adj

polysynthetic (comparative more polysynthetic, superlative most polysynthetic)

more polysynthetic (comparative)
most polysynthetic (superlative)

(mineralogy) Having layers of twin crystals


massive

massive (comparative more massive, superlative most massive)

more massive (comparative)
most massive (superlative)

insubstantial

antonym(s) of “of or pertaining to a large mass”

inconsequential

antonym(s) of “of great significance or import”

From Middle English massif, from Middle French massif, equivalent to mass + -ive. The Irish sense is possibly derived from Irish mas (“fine, handsome”).

massief

of great size, significance or import; overwhelming

gravitationally interacting massive particle

massive astronomical compact halo object

massive astrophysical compact halo object

robust association of massive baryonic objects

super weakly interacting massive particle

(mineralogy) Not having an obvious crystalline structure.


massive

karst massives in western Georgia

(mineralogy) A homogeneous mass of rock, not layered and without an obvious crystal structure.


wad

en-noun

wad (countable and uncountable, plural wads)

(mineralogy) Any black manganese oxide or hydroxide mineral rich rock in the oxidized zone of various ore deposits.


corundum

corundum (countable and uncountable, plural corundums)

From Tamil குருந்தம் (kuruntam, “ruby, sapphire”) First attested in the early 18th century.

etydate

(mineralogy) An extremely hard mineral, a form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al₂O₃, that occurs in the form of the gemstones sapphire and ruby; it is used as an abrasive.


black jack

en-noun

black jack (countable and uncountable, plural black jacks)


glance

glance (countable and uncountable, plural glances)

From Late Middle English glaunce (compare glaunce-ore (“type of ore; lead ore used for glazing pottery (?)”)), borrowed from Middle High German glanz (“(adjective) gleaming, glittering, sparkling; (noun) a gleam, glitter, sparkle”), from Old High German glanz (“bright”, adjective), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰlend-.

der

Short for glance coal (“any hard, lustrous coal such as anthracite”).

glance coal

copper glance    silver glance

The Oxides, Pyrites, Glances, and Blendes, might be so termed; thus we should have Tungstic Iron Oxide (usually called Tungstate of Iron), Arsenical Iron Pyrites (Mispickel), Tetrahedral Copper Glance (Fahlerz), Quicksilver Blende (Cinnabar), and the Metals might be termed native, as Native Copper, Native Silver.

1840, William Whewell, “Aphorisms Concerning Science. Aphorism XVII.”, in The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, Founded upon Their History. […], volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […]; Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: J. and J. J. Deighton, →OCLC, page cxix:

(obsolete except in the names of certain minerals) Any of various sulphides, mostly dark-coloured, which have a brilliant metallic lustre.

бленда

any of various sulphides which have a brilliant metallic lustre


titanic

From titan(ium) + -ic (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives from nouns), in the case of sense 1 (“of or relating to titanium”) modelled after French titanique.

suffix

(mineralogy) Of a mineral, especially iron ore: containing titanium, or from which titanium may be extracted.


minette

The minettes of Buell Mountain are felsic, and many contain ground-mass quartz.

(mineralogy) A mineral deposit consisting of iron ore of sedimentary origin, found in the south of Luxembourg and in Lorraine.


cummingtonite

en-noun

cummingtonite (countable and uncountable, plural cummingtonites)

From Cummington + -ite, since it was originally discovered in Cummington, Massachusetts.

(mineralogy) A mineral, magnesium-iron silicate hydroxide, (Mg,Fe)₇Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂.

cummingtoniet

mineral magnesium-iron silicate hydroxide


vermiculite

vermiculite (countable and uncountable, plural vermiculites)

From Latin vermiculus (“wormlet”), for its fibrous nature and tendency to expand into worm-like shapes when heated.

(mineralogy) A hydrated silicate mineral which expands on heating; it is used in insulation and as a medium for planting.


anhedral

en-adj

anhedral (comparative more anhedral, superlative most anhedral)

more anhedral (comparative)
most anhedral (superlative)

(mineralogy) Lacking sharp, recognisable crystal faces.

anedral

lacking sharp, recognisable crystal faces


asterism

From Ancient Greek ἀστερισμός (asterismós, “group of stars”), from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”). Analyzable as aster- + -ism.

derived

(mineralogy) A star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals by reflected light (as in a star sapphire) or by transmitted light (as in some mica).

نَجْمِيَّة

a star-shaped figure exhibited by some crystals


supercell

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(mineralogy) A repeating unit cell of a crystal that contains several primitive cells.


malachite

en-noun

malachite (countable and uncountable, plural malachites)

From Middle French malachite, from Latin molochītis, from Ancient Greek μολόχη (molókhē, “[leaf of the ... ] mallow plant”).

der

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A bright green mineral, a basic copper carbonate, Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂; one of the principal ores of copper.


selenite

en-noun

selenite (countable and uncountable, plural selenites)

From Ancient Greek σελήνη (selḗnē, “moon”) + -ite; the chemistry sense comes via the name of the element selenium.

I followed them to my study, and found lying on my writing-table still, with the selenite paper-weight upon it, the sheet of work I had left on the afternoon of the opening of the cylinder.

1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 295:

Glass windows replaced the old tiny windows of selenite (crystallized gypsum), and stovepipe replaced adobe chimneys.

1994, Stewart Brand, How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built, New York: Viking, →ISBN, page 146:

(mineralogy) A soft, glassy form of gypsum (chemical formula CaSO₄·2H₂O).


meteoritics

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From the beginning of the nineteenth century forward, meteoritics progressed steadily to an exacting and highly interdisciplinary field.

1999, Harry Y. McSween, Jr., Meteorites and Their Parent Planets, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, page 7:

Following the precedents set in previous editions of the Catalogue of Meteorites, it is not the intention of this Introduction to discuss the science of meteoritics, but simply to provide a summary of the nomenclature and classification of meteorites and the system of entries adopted.

2000, Monica M. Grady, Catalogue of Meteorites, 5th edition, Cambridge University Press, page 1:

Meteoritics, the laboratory study of meteorites, was regarded as our best window on events at the time of the origin of the planets even before their age could be measured.[…]Recently, discoveries in both meteoritics and asteroid research have brought forward several interesting connections with comets, and even the Voyager revelation of the nature of ice-rich satellites has influenced our understanding of meteorite origins.

2004, John S. Lewis, Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System, 2nd edition, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 350:

(astronomy, mineralogy, geochemistry, cosmochemistry) The science that deals with meteors, meteorites, and meteoroids.

meteorytyka

science of meteors, meteorites and meteoroids


serpentine

From Middle English serpentine, from Old French serpentin, from Latin serpentīnus, from serpēns (“serpent”), equivalent to serpent + -ine.

It is reached by five-and-twenty steps of porphyry and serpentine.

2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 394:

(mineralogy) Any of several green/brown minerals consisting of magnesium and iron silicates that have similar layered crystal structure, whose appearance somewhat resembles a snake's skin.


castor

Named from Greek mythology; see Castor and Pollux. The name pollux was given to another mineral with which it was always found.

(mineralogy) A variety of petalite found in Elba.


Ky

(A) Plane-polarized light and (B) back-scattered electron (BSE) images. The pseudomorph (Crd) is made up of Grt + Qtz + Ky rodlets + micas flakes (mainly biotite, Bt).

2017, J. Theo Kloprogge, Robert Lavinsky, “Introduction: Geological Examples”, in Photo Atlas of Mineral Pseudomorphism, Amsterdam: Elsevier, →ISBN, page 88:


urania

(mineralogy) Any of several impure mixtures of uranium oxides.


lapis lazuli

lapis lazuli (countable and uncountable, plural lapides lazuli or lapis lazulis)

lapides lazuli (plural)
lapis lazulis (plural)

From Middle English lapis lazuli, from Medieval Latin lapis (“stone”) + lazulī, genitive singular of lazulum (“lapis lazuli, azure, the sky”), from Arabic لَازُوَرْد (lāzuward, “lapis lazuli, azure”), from Persian لاجورد (lâjvard). Compare azure, of the same origin.

der

He saw the amber silk curtains wave to and fro: the middle window was open; in it stood a pillar of lapis lazuli, which supported an alabaster figure, Canova's Dansatrice.

1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Talisman, page 66:

(mineralogy) A deep-blue stone, used in making jewelry, and traditionally used to make the pigment ultramarine.


muscovite

en-noun

muscovite (countable and uncountable, plural muscovites)

In 1850 from Muscovy glass + -ite, from the province Muscovy in Russia. Named by James Dwight Dana.

Do you enjoy the amber glow seen through the isinglass window of a wood stove? […] Muscovite (colorless, white, or pale red or green) mica is also common[…]; it was named for Moskva (Moscow), where much of Europe's mica was mined. Isinglass, mentioned above, consists of thin, transparent sheets of muscovite.

2009, James S. Monroe, Reed Wicander, The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution, 5th edition, Belmont, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, →ISBN, page 76:

(mineralogy) A pale brown mineral of the mica group, being a basic potassium aluminosilicate with the chemical formula KAl₂(Si₃Al)O₁₀(OH,F)₂; used as an electrical insulator etc.


ACC

calcium carbonate
calcium carbonate#English

(mineralogy) Initialism of amorphous calcium carbonate.


amphibole

From French amphibole, coined by René Just Haüy from Ancient Greek ἀμφίβολος (amphíbolos, “ambiguous”), in reference to its many forms.

der

Remember when we could see the mountain's peak?
The sparkle off the amphibole.

(mineralogy) Any of a large group of structurally similar hydrated double silicate minerals, containing various combinations of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminium.

amfíbol

Any of a large group of similar hydrated double silicate minerals


hornblende

en-noun

hornblende (countable and uncountable, plural hornblendes)

From German Hornblende, from Horn (“horn”) + Blende (see blende).

(mineralogy) A green to black amphibole mineral, of complex structure, formed in the late stages of cooling in igneous rock.


zincite

zincite (usually uncountable, plural zincites)

(mineralogy) A yellow, orange or dark-red mineral form of zinc oxide, often also containing small amounts of manganese, with a chemical formula (Zn,Mn²⁺)O, an important ore of zinc.


parting

parting (countable and uncountable, plural partings)

(mineralogy) Lamellar separation in a crystallized mineral, due to some other cause than cleavage, as to the presence of twinning lamellae.


griceite

Named after Joel D. Grice, a Canadian mineralogist.

(mineralogy) A mineral, lithium fluoride, that occurs as white aggregates in other minerals, such as fluorite.


fluorite

fluorite (countable and uncountable, plural fluorites)

Fluorite is the main natural resource of Thailand.

(mineralogy) A widely occurring mineral (calcium fluoride), of various colours, used as a flux in steelmaking, and in the manufacture of glass, enamels and hydrofluoric acid.


haidingerite

From Haidinger + -ite, named in honor of Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger.

(mineralogy) A mineral consisting of the arseniate of lime, its formula is Ca(AsO₃OH)·H₂O

Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger
haidingerite


zeolite

zeolite (countable and uncountable, plural zeolites)

From Swedish zeolit, and its source, New Latin zeolites, from Ancient Greek ζέω (zéō, “to boil, bubble”) + -lite.

der

What I liked best were the zeolites from the stacks which rise out of the sea off the coast near Jaci.

1962, WH Auden, Elizabeth Mayer, translating JW Goethe, Italian Journey, Penguin, published 1970, page 284:

ion exchange chromatography
ion exchange chromatography

(mineralogy) Any of several minerals, aluminosilicates of sodium, potassium, calcium or magnesium, that have a porous structure (originally, those which swelled and gave off water when heated); they are used in water softeners and in ion exchange chromatography.


montmorillonite

en-noun

montmorillonite (countable and uncountable, plural montmorillonites)

(mineralogy) Any of a group of soft, clay-like silicate minerals having many industrial and technical uses.


meager

en-adj

meager (comparative meagerer, superlative meagerest)

meagerer (comparative)
meagerest (superlative)
meagre (alternative)

Jamaican Creole: mawga

From Middle English megre, from Anglo-Norman megre, Old French maigre, from Latin macer, from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Akin, through the Indo-European root, to Old English mæġer (“meager, lean”), West Frisian meager (“meager”), Dutch mager (“meager”), German mager, Icelandic magr whence the Icelandic magur,
Norwegian Bokmål mager and Danish mager. Doublet of maigre.

(mineralogy) Dry and harsh to the touch (e.g., as chalk).


zunyite

Named after the Zuni mine, in Colorado; see -ite.

(mineralogy) A fluorosilicate mineral of alumina occurring in tetrahedral crystals, chemical formula Al₁₃Si₅O₂₀(OH,F)₁₈Cl.


indite

(mineralogy) An extremely rare indium-iron sulfide mineral.


quartzite

en-noun

quartzite (countable and uncountable, plural quartzites)

Following the course of the river from New Ulm to Fort Ridgely, there are several exposures of reddish-brown “granite” or quartzites, which has been quarried in a few places, but I do not feel entirely sure of its connection with the rocks in the prairie or at the Ferry below.

1869, James Hall, “Notes upon the Geology of Some Portions of Minnesota, from St. Paul to the Western Part of the State”, in Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, volume XIII, page 331:

The stone experimented upon being of the hardest and toughest kind the effect is not seen for several strokes ; but within two minutes, during which the writer watched the experiment, a steel chisel was completely blunted and rendered useless, and there was a hole made about two inches deep in the mass of quartzite placed to operate upon.

1870 November 5, Professor Ansted, “The Passage of the Mont Cenis”, in Sylvanus Urban (pseudonym of Edward Cave), editor, The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 229, page 656:

Granites of the usual type, compact reddish or greyish quartz-felsite or rhyolite alternate one with another. A mica-trap is also found. Evidently this is an extension of the last group of rocks. A specimen of epidotic quartzite proves that there are, at any rate, some indications of the metamorphic series.

1883, T. G. Bonney, “On a Collection of Rock Specimens from the Island of Socotra”, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, volume 174, page 273:

(mineralogy) A metamorphic rock from sandstone, consisting of interlocking grains of quartz.


hydro-

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From Ancient Greek ὑδρο- (hudro-), from ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”).


asbestiform

THESE MATERIALS INCLUDE A BROAD RANGE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, SUCH AS HALOGENATED PESTICIDES AND POLYHALOGENATED BIPHENYLS, AND A VARIETY OF INORGANIC SUBSTANCES, INCLUDING ASBESTIFORMS AND HEAVY METALS, SUCH AS CADMIUM AND MERCURY.

1976, Great Lakes Water Quality Needs: A Report to the International Joint Commission, July 1976, page 50:

Vermont talc is of cosmetic grade which is low in free silica and asbestiforms.

1977, Scanning Electron Microscopy, page 616, column 2:

The amphibole asbestiforms present a more difficult problem.

1977, Ian M. Stewart, “Selected Thoughts on Asbestos Quantitation”, in I[rvin] M. Asher, P[hilip] P. McGrath, editors, Symposium on Electron Microscopy of Microfibers: Proceedings of the First FDA Office of Science Summer Symposium, section “SEM and TEM Analysis”, page 93, column 2:

(mineralogy) Any of asbestos-like forms of several minerals.


telluride

telluride (countable and uncountable, plural tellurides)

(uncountable, mineralogy, in particular) Sylvanite, silver gold telluride.


cryolite

cryolite (countable and uncountable, plural cryolites)

sodium aluminium fluoride
sodium aluminium fluoride

(mineralogy) The mineral sodium aluminium fluoride (Na₃AlF₆).


uran-

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magnesite

magnesite (countable and uncountable, plural magnesites)

(mineralogy) A form of magnesium carbonate, MgCO₃, occurring as dolomite (with calcite) but rarely found in the pure state.

մագնեզիտ

a form of magnesium carbonate, O3, occurring as dolomite (with calcite) but rarely found in the pure state


chlorite

chlorite (countable and uncountable, plural chlorites)

/ˈklɔːˌɹʌɪt/

/ˈklɔːˌɹaɪt/

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From Ancient Greek χλωρῖτις (khlōrîtis).

They have been heated enough to impart a delicate blue-green hue, which is because of the abundance of the ‘low-grade’ metamorphic mineral, chlorite.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 177:

(mineralogy) A dark green mineral resembling serpentine, being a mixed silicate of magnesium, iron and aluminium.


gahnite

gahnite (countable and uncountable, plural gahnites)

Named after Swedish chemist Johan Gottlieb Gahn (1745-1818) in 1807.

(mineralogy) A rare mineral ZnAl₂O₄ in the spinel group.


meagre

en-adj

meagre (comparative meagrer, superlative meagrest)

meagrer (comparative)
meagrest (superlative)
meager (alternative)

Jamaican Creole: mawga

From Middle English megre, borrowed from Anglo-Norman megre, Old French maigre, from Latin macer, macrum, from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with Old English mæġer (“meagre, lean”), Dutch mager (“lean”), German mager (“lean”), Icelandic magur (“lean”).


mangano-

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tourmaline

en-noun

tourmaline (countable and uncountable, plural tourmalines)

From French tourmaline, ultimately from Sinhalese තෝරමල්ලී (tōramallī, “carnelian”)

der

The floor of the chamber was tesselated, of marble and green tourmaline, and on every square of tourmaline was carven the image of a fish: as the dolphin, the conger, the cat-fish, the salmon, the tunny, the squid, and other wonders of the deep.

1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros, London: Jonathan Cape, page 3:

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) A complex black or dark-coloured borosilicate mineral, compounded with various chemical elements and considered a semi-precious stone.


exfoliate

en-verb

exfoliate (third-person singular simple present exfoliates, present participle exfoliating, simple past and past participle exfoliated)

exfoliates (present singular third-person)
exfoliating (participle present)
exfoliated (participle past)
exfoliated (past)

From Late Latin exfoliō (“I strip of leaves”), from ex- (“out of”) + folium (“leaf”); compare effoliate and French exfolier.

bor

(mineralogy) To split into scales, especially to become converted into scales as the result of heat or decomposition.


pyroxene

From French pyroxène, from pyro- + Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, “stranger”).

By the pathside, there are occasional large boulders that shown black crystals the size of a fingernail; these are pyroxene minerals that had time to crystallise out deep within the chamber of liquid rock – or magma – beneath the volcano.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 10:

(mineralogy) Any of a group of crystalline minerals containing silicates of iron, magnesium and calcium.


pollucite

From Pollux + ite, named after Pollux, the twin of Castor, as it is often found associated with castorite (now petalite).

(mineralogy) A colorless transparent mineral of the zeolite family consisting of hydrous cesium aluminum silicate and occurring massive or crystallizing in cubes.


zaratite

Spanish zaratita, from Señor Zarate, 19th century Spaniard + Spanish -ita -ite

(mineralogy) a hydrous basic nickel carbonate occurring in emerald-green incrustations or compact masses


obsidian

en-noun

obsidian (usually uncountable, plural obsidians)

From Latin obsidianus; named after Obsidius, who was, according to Pliny, the Roman who discovered the stone in Aethiopia.

The Neolithic culture from 8000 to 6000 B.C., however, was a brilliant period of the revival of crafts, the transformation of gathering into gardening, the growth of a cross-cultural obsidian trade, and the rise of towns.

1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 130:

(mineralogy) A type of naturally occurring black glass produced by volcanoes.

lawaglas

a type of black glass produced by volcanoes


magnesian

en-adj

magnesian (comparative more magnesian, superlative most magnesian)

more magnesian (comparative)
most magnesian (superlative)


quartz-diorite

(mineralogy) Any form of diorite containing appreciable amounts of quartz.


anatase

en-noun

anatase (countable and uncountable, plural anatases)

From French anatase, from Ancient Greek ἀνάτασις (anátasis, “extending, extension”), named for the length of its crystals.

der

(mineralogy) A blue or brown mineral, a form of titanium dioxide, used as a pigment.


kaolinite

en-noun

kaolinite (countable and uncountable, plural kaolinites)

From kaolin + -ite (see kaolin for more).

(mineralogy) A common hydrous aluminosilicate mineral found in sediments, soils and sedimentary rocks, Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄; one of the kaolin group of minerals.


epidote

epidote (countable and uncountable, plural epidotes)

A little higher is an outcrop of epidote schist with quartz, carbonate, and magnetite.

1915, George Curtis Martin, Bertrand Leroy Johnson, Ulysses Sherman Grant, “Bulletin 587: Geology and Mineral Resources of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska”, in United States Geological Survey, page 23:

1990, Andrew P. Barth, Chapter 3: Mid-crustal emplacement of Mesozoic plutons, San Gabriel Mountains, California, and implications for the geologic history of the San Gabriel terrane, J. Lawford Anderson (editor), The Nature and Origin of Cordilleran Magmatism, Memoir 174: The Nature and Origin of Cordilleran Magmatism, The Geological Society of America, page 36,
Available compositional data for magmatic epidotes (Naney, 1983; Zen and Hammarstrom, 1984; Barth, unpublished data) suggest no significant solid solution beyond the epidote-clinozoisite binary.

Epidote is found in greenstone belts and many metamorphic rocks such as gneiss and schist, and is hence fairly widespread.

2004, Bruce Cairncross, Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals of Southern Africa, page 96:

(mineralogy) Any of a class of mixed calcium iron aluminium sorosilicates found in metamorphic rocks.


sorosilicate

From Ancient Greek σωρός (sōrós, “heap”) + silicate.

(mineralogy) Any silicate based on the dimeric anion Si₂O₇⁶⁻.


limonite

limonite (countable and uncountable, plural limonites)

(mineralogy) Any of several natural hydrous iron oxides; often a mixture of goethite and hemite with clays and manganese oxide.

limoniet

mineral consisting of hydrous iron oxides


reniform

/ˈɹɛnəˌfɔɹm/

Learned borrowing from Latin rēnis (the genitive singular of rēn (“kidney”); see further at that entry) + English -form (suffix meaning ‘having the form or shape of’), modelled after New Latin rēnifōrmis (“of seeds: kidney-shaped”).

reniforme

synonym of kidney-shaped — see also kidney-shaped

intussusception with a reniform appearance

multiple reniform circumscribed fat-containing masses

The Bean […] is oval, and not at all reniform'd like the Kidney-Beans.

[1745, James Parsons, “Tab. V. Fig. 12. a. Cow-itch, Coughage, or Stinging-Beans.”, in The Microscopical Theatre of Seeds: […], volume I, London: […] F. Needham, […]; and sold by M. Cooper, […], →OCLC, page 201:

[T]he antheræ are reniform: the germen is oval, and obtuſely trigonal; […]

1751, John Hill, “Class the Sixth. Order the First. Division the First. Hexandria Monogynia, Having Corollæ Divided into Three Segments, and Cups to Them. [TRADESCANTIA.]”, in A General Natural History: Or, New and Accurate Descriptions of the Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals of the Different Parts of the World; […], volume II (A History of Plants), London: […] Thomas Osborne, […], →OCLC, part III (Plants Called the More Perfect Ones), page 364:

In one of the ſegments of the lovver portion of the kidney, there vvas a large reniform Papillæ, in the outer circumference of vvhich a ſmall part of the papillary fleſh vvas vvanting. […] In the oppoſite ſegment, there vvas a fourth reniform Papilla, reſembling the firſt; […]

1756, Albert Haller [i.e., Albrecht von Haller], “Observation LIX. A Coalition of the Kidnies.”, in Pathological Observations, Chiefly from Dissections of Morbid Bodies, London: […] D. Wilson and T. Durnam, […], →OCLC, page 178:

The oxyde of cobalt, […] is found either ſuperficial, interſperſed, or in lumps; ſometimes botryoidal or reniform or bearing particular impreſſions.

1799, William Babington, “[Class III. Metals. Order II. Fragile. Genus IV. Cobalt.] Species II. Native Oxyde of Cobalt.”, in A New System of Mineralogy, in the Form of a Catalogue, after the Manner of Baron Born’s Systematic Catalogue of the Collection of Fossils of Mlle. Élénore de Raab, London: […] T[homas] Bensley, […]; and sold by W. Phillips, […]; G. G. and J. Robinsons, […]; and T[homas] Cox, […], →OCLC, page 232:

Nothing could be more simple than the furniture. The chairs were either posts mounted on four legs spread out for a base, or three-legged stools with reniform seats.

1861, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “To Ruby Valley”, in The City of the Saints and across the Rocky Mountains to California, London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, →OCLC, page 570:

(chiefly biology, mineralogy) Synonym of kidney-shaped (“having an approximately circular or elongated ovoid shape with an inward curve or indentation on one side”)

kidney-shaped

(botany) Of a leaf: kidney-shaped, with the petiole attached at the notch.

munuaismainen

of a leaf: kidney-shaped, with the petiole attached at the notch


calcite

en-noun

calcite (countable and uncountable, plural calcites)

(mineralogy) A very widely distributed crystalline form of calcium carbonate, CaCO₃, found as limestone, chalk and marble.


marcasite

marcasite (countable and uncountable, plural marcasites)

/ˈmɑːkəsʌɪt/

From Medieval Latin marchasita et al., from Arabic مَرْقَشِيتَا (marqašītā).

der

مَرْقَشِيتَا

Arabic مَرْقَشِيتَا (marqašītā)

(mineralogy) The orthorhombic form of iron disulfide, FeS₂, occurring as yellow crystals.


wolframite

en-noun

wolframite (countable and uncountable, plural wolframites)

From German Wolframit, from Wolfram (“tungsten”). By surface analysis, wolfram + -ite.

Coordinate term: scheelite

(mineralogy) A mineral that consists of a tungstate of iron and manganese; (Fe,Mn)WO₄; it is one of the principal ores for tungsten.


plumbago

plumbago (countable and uncountable, plural plumbagos or plumbagoes)

Borrowed from Latin plumbāgō (“type of lead ore”), from plumbum (“lead”).

(mineralogy, now chiefly historical) Graphite.


feldspathic

From German Feldspath (“feldspar”) + -ic.


melanterite

melanterite (countable and uncountable, plural melanterites)

(mineralogy) a widespread green, mostly fibrous mineral composed of hydrated ferrous sulphate


melilite

melilite (countable and uncountable, plural melilites)

Ancient Greek μέλι (méli, “honey”) + -lite.

(mineralogy) any mineral consisting of a solid solution of gehlenite (Ca₂Al₂SiO₇) and akermanite (Ca₂MgSi₂O₇)


polybasite

polybasite (countable and uncountable, plural polybasites)

From poly- + base (as in "base metal") + -ite.

af

(mineralogy) A black ore consisting of silver, sulfur, and antimony, with some copper and arsenic.


polyhalite

Shafts are now being sunk at Sirius Minerals' Woodsmith mine to extract polyhalite for use as an agricultural fertiliser, with much of the output exported.

2019 October, James Abbott, “Esk Valley revival”, in Modern Railways, page 76:

(mineralogy) A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.


pyrochlore

en-noun

pyrochlore (countable and uncountable, plural pyrochlores)

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 mineral whose composition is that of a mixed niobate mostly of sodium, calcium and cerium, (Na,Ca)₂Nb₂O₆(OH,F).


pyritohedron

pyritohedron (plural pyritohedrons or pyritohedra)

pyritohedrons (plural)
pyritohedra (plural)

(mineralogy) The shape of one of the crystal habits of pyrite.


pyrolusite

pyrolusite (countable and uncountable, plural pyrolusites)

(mineralogy) A dark coloured mineral, consisting of manganese dioxide (MnO₂), that is an important ore of manganese.


molybdenite

molybdenite (countable and uncountable, plural molybdenites)

molybdenum disulfide
molybdenum disulfide

(mineralogy) A mineral, molybdenum disulfide MoS₂, that is the principal ore of molybdenum; it is structurally similar to graphite and has a similar look and feel.


monazite

From German Monazit, from Ancient Greek μονάζω (monázō, “be solitary”).

der

(mineralogy) any of a range of reddish-brown minerals that are mixed phosphates of the lighter rare earth elements lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium and yttrium


pyromorphite

en-noun

pyromorphite (usually uncountable, plural pyromorphites)

(mineralogy) A yellowish-green mineral, a mixed phosphate and chloride of lead with the chemical formula Pb₅(PO₄)₃Cl, that is sometimes mined as an ore.


pyrophyllite

(mineralogy) A soft, pale aluminosilicate mineral, somewhat resembling talc.


pyrrhotite

pyrrhotite (usually uncountable, plural pyrrhotites)

(mineralogy) A weakly magnetic ferrous sulfide mineral, FeS.


stibine

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


natrolite

natrolite (countable and uncountable, plural natrolites)

(mineralogy) A fibrous zeolite mineral, being a sodium aluminosilicate, of the chemical formula Na₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀·2H₂O.


pyrophane

pyrophane (countable and uncountable, plural pyrophanes)

From pyro- + Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “I show or shine”).

der

(mineralogy) A mineral which is opaque in its natural state, but is said to change its color and become transparent by heat.


allo-

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

From Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”), from Proto-Hellenic *áľľos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos (English else).

allochromatic is having a colour that is due to the presence of impurities, allochromatic is having properties that are due to the presence of impurities or to radiation damage, allostratigraphy is the study and classification of rock strata by features causing as unconformities and discontinuities in the rock record

(chemistry, mineralogy) Impure in composition.

Variety, heterogeneity.
Impure in composition.


nickeline

en-noun

nickeline (usually uncountable, plural nickelines)

(mineralogy) A mineral, a form of nickel arsenide, NiAs, having a metallic lustre and copper-red colour, that is a minor ore of nickel.


niccolite

niccolite (countable and uncountable, plural niccolites)


barite

barite (countable and uncountable, plural barites)

From Ancient Greek βάρος (báros, “weight”), βαρύτης (barútēs, “weight”).

(mineralogy) A mineral, barium sulphate, with the chemical formula BaSO₄.


barytes

From Ancient Greek βαρύτης (barútēs, “heaviness”), from βαρύς (barús, “heavy”).


olivine

en-noun

olivine (countable and uncountable, plural olivines)

From olive + -in, later remodelled after -ine.

The olivine crystals in most basalts are imperfect, lacking clear crystal faces.

2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 51:

To do so, his team mixed together limestone with a crushed silicate mineral that contains magnesium — such as olivine, an olive-tinted mineral that can be found around the world. When heated to furiously high temperatures in a kiln, calcium in the limestone and magnesium in the silicate jiggle and switch sides, like participants in a square dance.

2025 February 19, Dino Grandoni, “We may be able to trap climate pollution in ordinary rocks. Scientists say they have figured out how to transform rocks into something extraordinary: a high-tech, low-cost substance that can bend geological time and help stall — or even reverse — planetary warming”, in Washington Post:

(mineralogy, geology) Any of a group of olive green magnesium-iron silicate minerals that crystallize in the orthorhombic system.

оливин

family of minerals forming orthorhombic crystals


omphacite

omphacite (usually uncountable, plural omphacites)

From Ancient Greek ὄμφαξ (ómphax, “unripe fruit, especially grapes”) + -ite.

der

(mineralogy) Any of a range of green, monoclinic pyroxene minerals found in eclogites and similar rocks; they are solid solutions of jadeite and diopside.


jadeite

en-noun

jadeite (countable and uncountable, plural jadeites)

(mineralogy) A pyroxene mineral, a sodium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Na(Al,Fe³⁺)Si₂O₆, found in metamorphic rocks.


diopside

diopside (countable and uncountable, plural diopsides)

From French diopside, from Ancient Greek δίοψις (díopsis, “transparency”) + -ide.

der

(mineralogy) A monoclinic pyroxene mineral, a magnesium calcium silicate with the chemical formula CaMgSi₂O₆, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks.


orthorhombic pyroxene

en-noun

orthorhombic pyroxene (plural orthorhombic pyroxenes)

(mineralogy) Any of a group of minerals having the general formula XYSi₂O₆ in which X is iron or magnesium and Y is iron or manganese.


tantalite

(mineralogy) A dark-brown mineral that is an ore of tantalum and niobium, of the chemical formula (Fe, Mn) Ta₂O₆.


pectolite

pectolite (countable and uncountable, plural pectolites)

(mineralogy) a gray-white mineral inosilicate hydroxide of calcium and sodium that crystallizes in the triclinic system, with the chemical formula NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH).


space group

Dorothy also learned to identify the space group of a molecule, an essential prerequisite for finding the structure, by looking for spots that were missing from the regular array in an X-ray photograph.

1998, Georgina Ferry, Dorothy Hodgkin: A Life:

(crystallography, mineralogy) The set of all symmetry operations that can be applied to a given crystal without changing it.


lithiophilite

lithiophilite (usually uncountable, plural lithiophilites)

(mineralogy) A variety of triphylite that is a mixed phosphate of lithium and manganese.


lithiophorite

(mineralogy) A basic oxide of lithium, manganese and aluminium found in hydrothermal ore deposits and sedimentary manganese deposits, with the chemical formula (Al,Li)Mn⁴⁺O₂(OH)₂.


beryllonite

(mineralogy) A rare mineral, sodium beryllium phosphate, with the chemical formula NaBePO₄; found especially in Maine.


cuprite

cuprite (countable and uncountable, plural cuprites)

(mineralogy) A mineral composed of cuprous oxide and a minor ore of copper.


pentlandite

pentlandite (countable and uncountable, plural pentlandites)

(mineralogy) A mixed iron and nickel sulfide mineral, with the chemical formula (Fe,Ni)₉S₈; the major ore of nickel.


perovskite

From Perovski + -ite. Named for Russian mineralogist L. A. Perovski (1792-1856) in 1839.

(mineralogy) A minor accessory mineral, CaTiO₃, occurring in basic rocks, as orthorhombic crystals.


accessory mineral

accessory mineral (plural accessory minerals)

(mineralogy) any mineral that is present in small amounts in a rock, but is not considered to be characteristic of the rock


carbonado

carbonado (plural carbonados or carbonadoes)

carbonados (plural)
carbonadoes (plural)

Borrowed from Portuguese carbonado (“carbonized”), probably from carbono (“carbon”) (currently only attested later than carbonado) + -ado (suffix forming adjectives from nouns meaning ‘something or someone who has suffered the action’). Carbono is borrowed from French carbone (“carbon”), from Latin carbō (“coal; charcoal”); for further derivation, see etymology 1.

/ˌkɑːbəˈneɪdəʊ/

At present, equal attention is paid to irregular fragments of a blackish or greyish colour, occasionally of considerable size, also yielded by the washings of diamandiferous sand, which formerly passed unregarded. These fragments are now carefully colected, and have acquired some considerable value in commerce, where they are known under the name of carbonado or carbon. […] An examination of these numerous varieties has made it evident that between carbonado of a simply micro-crystalline texture, and the diamond regularly crystallised in diaphanous octahedrons, there exists an uninterrupted series of intermediate conditions.

1873 October, “Some New Facts Concerning the Diamond”, in William Crookes, editor, The Quarterly Journal of Science, and Annals of Mining, Metallurgy, Engineering, Industrial Arts, Manufactures, and Technology, volume III (New Series; volume X overall), London: Offices of the Quarterly Journal of Science, 3, Horse-shoe Court, Ludgate Hill; Paris: Friedrich Klincksieck; Leipzg: Alfons Dürr, →OCLC, page 439:

Brazil's carbonadoes are indispensable today for the speedy cutting of hard rubber, bakelite and fiber compounds. Their absolute precision is especially valuable in turning such instruments as high-power telescopes and microscope tubes.

1928 January, Orville H. Kneen, “Gems that Work for a Living: Black Diamonds, the Most Precious Stones on Earth, Put to Curious Industrial Uses”, in The Popular Science Monthly, volume 112, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Popular Science Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 133, column 1:

Carbonado, the granular variety of diamond, is a porous micro- or cryptocrystalline aggregate, composed of anhedral grains and crystallites of octahedral or, less commonly, cubic habit that range in size from 0.5 to 50 nm.

1974, Ye. V. Frantsesson, F. V. Kaminskiy, “Carbonado, a Diamond Variety of Nonkimberlitic Origin”, in Doklady: Earth Science Sections, Falls Church, Va.: American Geological Institute, →OCLC, page 117:

Carbonados are polycrystalline diamond aggregates of generally irregular shapes that have been observed in placer deposits and low-grade metamorphic rocks of mainly Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic. […] Smith and Dawson (1985), consequently, suggested that carbonados could have been formed as a consequence of Precambrian impact events into carbon-bearing crustal rocks. All other traces of these impacts and the related impact structures apparently have been eroded, and only the carbonados had survived erosion and were then incorporated into sedimentary rocks.

2005, Wolf Uwe Reimold et al., “Economic Mineral Deposits in Impact Structures: A Review”, in Christian Koeberl, Herbert Henkel, editors, Impact Tectonics (Impact Studies), Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, →ISBN, →ISSN, section 3.2 (The Carbonado Conundrum), page 505:

(mineralogy) A dark, non-transparent, impure form of polycrystalline diamond (also containing graphite and amorphous carbon) used in drilling.


sodium alum

(mineralogy) A water-soluble mineral NaAl(SO₄)₂·12(H₂O); a form of alum in which potassium is replaced by sodium.


petalite

(mineralogy) A rare pegmatitic mineral, a lithium aluminosilicate, with the chemical formula LiAlSi₄O₁₀; used in the manufacture of crystallized glass ceramics.


phenocryst

Some of the feldspar phenocrysts are more than 1 cm long, but most are less than 5 mm.

1965, Gordon A Macdonald and Takashi Katsura, Eruption of Lassen Peak, Cascade Range, California, in 1915: Example of Mixed Magmas, Geological Society of America Bulletin 76 (5), pages 475

(mineralogy) Any relatively large crystal embedded in a more fine-grained or glassy igneous rock


phlogopite

phlogopite (countable and uncountable, plural phlogopites)

From German Phlogopit, from Ancient Greek φλογωπός (phlogōpós, “fiery-looking”) + -ite.

uder

(mineralogy) A mica mineral with the chemical formula KMg₃AlSi₃O₁₀(F,OH)₂, a basic potassium magnesium aluminosilicate, used as an insulator

flogopiitti

a mica, the magnesium endmember of biotite


phonolite

From phono- + -lite, from the metallic sound when it is hit.

(mineralogy) a light-coloured rock of volcanic origin composed mostly of alkali feldspars


bentonite

en-noun

bentonite (countable and uncountable, plural bentonites)

From Benton + -ite, after the place where it was first mined: Fort Benton, Montana.

(mineralogy) Any of several impure clay minerals consisting mostly of montmorillonite.


pigeonite

pigeonite (countable and uncountable, plural pigeonites)

From pigeon + -ite, named from its type locality on Lake Superior's shores at Pigeon Point, Minnesota, United States.

(mineralogy) Any monoclinic pyroxene that is a mixed calcium, magnesium and ferrous silicate.


natron

From French natron, from Spanish natrón, from Arabic نَطْرُون (naṭrūn), from Ancient Greek νίτρον (nítron, “nitre”), ultimately from Egyptian nṯrj (“natron”): R9
Doublet of niter and trona.

Natron and salt are soluble by liquid, but not all liquid but only such as is cold. Hence water and any of its varieties melt them, but oil does not.

1931, Aristotle, translated by E.W. Webster, Meteorologica, Bk. IV, ch. 6:

You know the mysterious idols they were supposed to set up to worship in their chapters – were they really human heads treated with natron after the Ancient Egyptian pattern – idols of Persian or Syrian provenance?

1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 242:

(mineralogy) A crystalline mixture of hydrous sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, with the chemical formula Na₂CO₃·10H₂O.


phosphorite

phosphorite (countable and uncountable, plural phosphorites)

(mineralogy) a sedimentary rock rich in phosphate minerals such as apatite


spinel

spinel (countable and uncountable, plural spinels)

French spinelle, perhaps from Latin spina (“a thorn, a prickle”), in allusion to its pointed crystals.

Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

2012 March 5, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2012-06-14, page 128:

(mineralogy) Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours.

لَعْل

any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium


orthosilicate

(mineralogy) Any silicate mineral, such as garnet or olivine, in which the SiO₄ tetrahedra do not share oxygen atoms with each other.


prehnite

prehnite (countable and uncountable, plural prehnites)

Named after Dutch colonial governor of Cape of Good Hope Hendrik van Prehn in 1788, Dutch colonial governor. This was the first mineral to be named after a person.

named-after

(mineralogy) A mineral, a basic calcium, aluminium and iron aluminosilicate, which occurs in stalactitic aggregates or curved crystals, Ca₂Al₂Si₃O₁₀(OH)₂.


proustite

en-noun

proustite (usually uncountable, plural proustites)

Named after French chemist Joseph L. Proust (1754-1826) in 1832, + -ite.

(mineralogy) A mineral, Ag₃AsS₃, often found with pyrargyrite in silver veins.


idiomorphous

(mineralogy) occurring as distinct crystals


gowan

From Scots, from Scottish Gaelic [Term?].


pyroxenoid

(mineralogy) any of a large group of minerals physically resembling pyroxene


borian

en-adj

borian (comparative more borian, superlative most borian)

more borian (comparative)
most borian (superlative)

(mineralogy) Describing minerals that contain boron


basalt

en-noun

basalt (countable and uncountable, plural basalts)

From Late Latin basaltes, a misspelling of Latin basanites, from Ancient Greek βασανίτης (basanítēs), from βάσανος (básanos, “touchstone”), from Egyptian bḫn (“a hard stone”), b-x:n-O39

(mineralogy) A hard mafic igneous rock of varied mineral content; volcanic in origin, which makes up much of the Earth's oceanic crust.


gummite

gummite (countable and uncountable, plural gummites)

(mineralogy) A yellow, amorphous mineral, a mixture of oxides and silicates of uranium, formed by weathering of pitchblende.


phosphorrösslerite

phosphorrösslerite (usually uncountable, plural phosphorrösslerites)

(mineralogy) A transparent crystalline mineral, MgHPO₄·7H₂O.


realgar

realgar (usually uncountable, plural realgars)

realgars (plural)
rosaker (alternative)
resalgar (alternative)
resegall (alternative)
resegallum (alternative)

From Middle English realgar, from Medieval Latin realgar, resalgar, from Arabic رَهْج اَلْغَار (rahj al-ḡār, literally “cave dust”).

der

رَهْج اَلْغَار

(mineralogy) A mineral, arsenic sulfide (AsS), often associated with orpiment and stibnite in lead, silver and gold ores.


chrysoprase

From Ancient Greek χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) and πράσινον (prásinon, “green”).

[…]or such pale green and uncertain as we see in sunset sky, and in the clefts of the glacier and the chrysoprase,[…]

1846, [John Ruskin], chapter 10, in Modern Painters […], volume II, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, part III (Of Ideas of Beauty), section II (Of the Imaginative Faculty), § 7, page 79:

With shaken soul of light and shuddering blaze / Of leaping emerald and cold chrysoprase

(mineralogy) A variety of light-green translucent quartz.


chiastolite

en-noun

chiastolite (countable and uncountable, plural chiastolites)

From Ancient Greek χιαστός (khiastós, “arranged diagonally”) derived from χι (khi, “Greek letter X khi”) + -lite. So called from the resemblance of the crosscuts of its crystals to the Greek letter chi.

der

(mineralogy) An aluminosilicate mineral having carbon inclusions, a variety of andalusite.


apatite

en-noun

apatite (countable and uncountable, plural apatites)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-apatite.wav

From international scientific vocabulary, from German Apatit (“apatite”). Apatit was coined by the German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749–1817), as follows: Ancient Greek ᾰ̓πᾰ́τη (ăpắtē, “deceit, fraud”) (as it is often mistaken for other minerals) + German -it (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks; cognate with English -ite); the German word was first used in a 1786 book. Regarding minerals that were named for being deceptive and thus confused with others, compare also fool's gold.

der

suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks; cognate with English <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">-ite</i>

We had prepared, by precipitation methods, finely divided crystalline apatites that were similar in crystal size and x-ray diffraction profile to bone apatite.

1967, Duncan McConnell et al., “Infrared Absorption of Carbonate Apatite”, in Science, volume 155, number 3762 (New Series), Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 608:

(mineralogy) A calcium fluoride phosphate of variable composition, sometimes used in the manufacture of fertilizer, as a gemstone, and (in powdered form) as a pigment, and also produced biologically in bones and teeth.

Abraham Gottlob Werner
international scientific vocabulary


perimorph

(mineralogy) A mineral enclosed within another.

(mineralogy) The outer mineral that encloses an endomorph.