actinolite

[ak-tin-l-ahyt, ak-tuh-nl-]

noun Mineralogy.

a variety of amphibole, occurring in greenish bladed crystals or in masses.

Origin of actinolite

First recorded in 1825–35; actino- + -lite

Related formsac·tin·o·lit·ic

[ak-tin-l-it-ik, ak-tuh-nl-] /ækˌtɪn lˈɪt ɪk, ˌæk tə nl-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for actinolite

Historical Examples of actinolite

The actinolite slate is dark green, and formed by an almost insensible gradation from the mica slate.
In the Arctic Seas
Francis Leopold McClintock
Byssolite, bis′o-līt, n. an olive-green variety of actinolite, in long crystals.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)
Various
Actinolite is a green silicate of lime, magnesia, and iron 322 especially common in certain metamorphic rocks.
Geology
William J. Miller
It is entirely composed of a slaty rock, traversed by numerous veins of Actinolite.
A Guide to the Mount's Bay and the Land's End
John Ayrton Paris

British Dictionary definitions for actinolite

actinolite

noun

a green mineral of the amphibole group consisting of calcium magnesium iron silicate. Formula: Ca 2 (Mg,Fe) 5 Si 8 O 22 (OH) 2

Word Origin for actinolite

C19: from actino- (from the radiating crystals in some forms) + -lite

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

actinolite in Science

actinolite

[ăk-tĭn′ə-līt′]

A greenish variety of amphibole. Actinolite is a monoclinic mineral, and occurs in long, slender, green needlelike crystals, or in fibrous, radiated forms in metamorphic rocks. Chemical formula: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22OH2.