mineralogy

American  

[min-uh-rol-uh-jee, -ral-uh-] / ˌmɪn əˈrɒl ə dʒi, -ˈræl ə- /

noun

1. the science or study of minerals.

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mineralogy British  

/ ˌmɪnəˈrælədʒɪ /

noun

1. the branch of geology concerned with the study of minerals

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mineralogy Scientific  

/ mĭn′ə-rŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of minerals, their composition and properties, and the places where they are likely to occur.

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Other Word Forms

• mineralogist
  noun
• mineralogic
  adjective
• mineralogical
  adjective
• nonmineralogical
  adjective
• mineralogically
  adverb
• nonmineralogically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of mineralogy

First recorded in 1680–90; minera(l) + -logy

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mineralogy

“They are very complex ores with highly unusual mineralogy, and some of them have relatively high contents of the radioactive elements uranium and thorium,” Goodenough notes.

From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026

“Of all the copper that exists in the ground globally, 70% of those resources are comprised of primary sulfides, this mineralogy that we’re looking to unlock,” said Nuton chief executive Adam Burley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

Famous for its stuffed animals and bone collections, the museum is home to a mineralogy gallery, from the where the gold was taken.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025

Further investigations in the new study indicated that heating CI samples under reducing conditions at 300 °C reproduced Ryugu's sample mineralogy well, resulting in spectra closely matching those of Ryugu samples.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 11, 2023

In the tradition of the day, Hutton took an interest in nearly everything, from mineralogy to metaphysics.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

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