bauxite

[ bawk-sahyt, boh-zahyt ]

noun
  1. a rock consisting of aluminum oxides and hydroxides with various impurities: the principal ore of aluminum.

Origin of bauxite

1
1860–65; named after Les Baux, near Arles in S France; see -ite1

Other words from bauxite

  • baux·it·ic [bawk-sit-ik, boh-zit-], /bɔkˈsɪt ɪk, boʊˈzɪt-/, adjective

Words Nearby bauxite

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How to use bauxite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bauxite

bauxite

/ (ˈbɔːksaɪt) /


noun
  1. a white, red, yellow, or brown amorphous claylike substance comprising aluminium oxides and hydroxides, often with such impurities as iron oxides. It is the chief ore of aluminium. General formula: Al 2 O 3 . n H 2 O

Origin of bauxite

1
C19: from French, from (Les) Baux in southern France, where it was originally found

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

Scientific definitions for bauxite

bauxite

[ bôksīt′ ]


  1. A soft, whitish to reddish-brown rock consisting mainly of hydrous aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides along with silica, silt, iron hydroxides, and clay minerals. Bauxite forms from the breakdown of clays and is a major source of aluminum.

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