quartz

American  

[kwawrts] / kwɔrts /

noun

quartzes plural

1. one of the commonest minerals, silicon dioxide, SiO 2 , having many varieties that differ in color, luster, etc., and occurring either in masses (as agate, bloodstone, chalcedony, jasper, etc.) or in crystals (as rock crystal, amethyst, citrine, etc.): the chief constituent of sand and sandstone, and an important constituent of many other rocks. It is piezoelectric and used to control the frequencies of radio transmitters.

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quartz British  

/ kwɔːts /

noun

1. a colourless mineral often tinted by impurities, found in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass, abrasives, and cement, and also as a gemstone; the violet-purple variety is amethyst, the brown variety is cairngorm, the yellow variety is citrine, and the pink variety is rose quartz. Composition: silicon dioxide. Formula: SiO 2 . Crystal structure: hexagonal

2. short for quartz glass

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quartz Scientific  

/ kwôrts /

1. A hard, transparent trigonal mineral that, after feldspar, is the most common mineral on the surface of the Earth. It occurs as a component of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks as well as in a variety of other forms such as rock crystal, flint, and agate. Some crystalline forms, such as amethyst, are considered gemstones. Chemical formula: SiO ₂ .

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quartzose
  adjective
• quartzous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quartzes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of quartz

First recorded in 1750–60, quartz is from the German word Quarz

Explanation

Quartz is a mineral that's usually clear or white, but is sometimes tinted a translucent color. It's common for quartz to be part of other rocks, and often you can see its stripes cutting through smooth beach stones. Quartz is very hard and shiny, and it's also quite common. There are many different types of quartz, and the rarest ones are considered semi-precious gemstones, like citrine and amethyst. This is the quartz that's used to make jewelry. Its chemical name is silicon dioxide, and it has a crystal structure. Quartz comes from the German Quarz, "rock crystal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quartz quartzes

HSE inspectors arrived at the site of Europe's only quartz sand mine on the day following Thwaites's death on 21 October 2024.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

“The chef-inspired designer kitchen seamlessly blends functionality and style with quartz countertops, high-end appliances, and center-island seating, opening effortlessly to the dining area and corner window views that frame the horizon,” the listing continued.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

If they prevail, expect costlier new homes and thousands of lost jobs in the U.S. quartz fabricating industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

For the first time, scientists at the University of Utah directly measured this magnetism in quartz using specialized equipment at the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Florida.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026

He pried out the jaw of one fossil from the rock, like a mad dentist, then returned the next week to extract a huge skull from the quartz.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

You can buy a few rose quartzes or light a few candles and if it’s meaningful for you, keep it; if not, it’s not like you went through a full religious conversion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2019

These metalliferous quartzes cannot be further from the coast than a maximum distance of fourteen miles, and the broad, smooth watercourse, with its easy gradients, points it out as the site of the future tramway.

From The Land of Midian — Volume 1 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

The island-formation is that of the opposite coasts, Midian and Sinai, grey granite dyked with decaying porphyritic trap, and everywhere veined with white and various-coloured quartzes.

From The Land of Midian — Volume 1 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

Granites differ in colouring because the minerals that compose them, the feldspars, quartzes, micas, and hornblendes, have each so wide a range of colour.

From Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know Easy studies of the earth and the stars for any time and place by Rogers, Julia Ellen

The quartz sand may well have been derived from the granitic quartzes, but that is an uncertain matter.

From History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia by Head, James William