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triphylite

[trif-uh-lahyt]
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noun
  1. a mineral, a rare phosphate of lithium, iron, and manganese, usually occurring in masses of a bluish or greenish color.

Origin of triphylite

1830–40; tri- + Greek phȳl(ḗ) tribe, phyle + -ite1; replacing triphyline < German Triphylin
Also called triph·y·line [trif-uh-leen, -lin] /ˈtrɪf əˌlin, -lɪn/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for triphylite

triphylite

noun
  1. a bluish-grey rare mineral that consists of lithium iron phosphate in orthorhombic crystalline form and occurs in pegmatites. Formula: LiFePO 4

Word Origin

C19: from tri- + phyl-, from Greek phulon family + -ite 1, referring to its three bases
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