autunite

American

[awt-n-ahyt, oh-tuhn-ahyt] / ˈɔt nˌaɪt, oʊˈtʌn aɪt /

noun

a yellow mineral, a hydrous calcium uranium phosphate, CaU 2 P 2 O 12 ⋅8H 2 O, occurring in crystals as nearly square tablets: a minor ore of uranium.

autunite British

/ ˈɔːtəˌnaɪt /

noun

a yellowish fluorescent radioactive mineral consisting of a hydrated calcium uranium phosphate in tetragonal crystalline form. It is found in uranium ores. Formula: Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 .10–12H 2 O

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of autunite

First recorded in 1850–55; named after Autun, a city in eastern France near source of supply; see -ite ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023