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pitchblende

[ pich-blend ]

noun

, Mineralogy.
  1. a massive variety of uraninite, occurring in black pitchlike masses: a major ore of uranium and radium.


pitchblende

/ ˈpɪtʃˌblɛnd /

noun

  1. a blackish mineral that is a type of uraninite and occurs in veins, frequently associated with silver: the principal source of uranium and radium. Formula: UO 2


pitchblende

/ pĭchblĕnd′ /

  1. A brown to black, often crusty, cubic mineral that is a principal ore of uranium. It is highly radioactive. Chemical formula: UO 2 .


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Word History and Origins

Origin of pitchblende1

1760–70; half translation, half adoption of German Pechblende. See pitch 2, blende

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pitchblende1

C18: partial translation of German Pechblende, from Pech pitch ² (from its black colour) + blende

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Example Sentences

Steen had found a deposit of pitchblende, which today geologists call uraninite, a rich and radioactive ore.

Radium was discovered in 1898 by M. and Madame Curie and M. Bmont, while experimenting with the uranium mineral pitchblende.

Suppose a bearer of the Medal of Honor formed a stock corporation to exploit the pitchblende of Callisto.

The project at hand is to extract the newly discovered deposits of pitchblende on these satellites of Jupiter.

Uranium occurs chiefly as pitchblende, which is an impure oxide (U3O8).

Her thoughts were for the moment on that strange brownish-black rock her father called pitchblende.

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pitch-blackpitch chain