albite

American

[al-bahyt] / ˈæl baɪt /

noun

Mineralogy.

the sodium end member of the plagioclase feldspar group, light-colored and found in alkalic igneous rocks.

albite British

/ ˈælbaɪt /

noun

a colourless, milky-white, yellow, pink, green, or black mineral of the feldspar group and plagioclase series, found in igneous sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Composition: sodium aluminium silicate. Formula: NaALSi 3 O 8 . Crystal structure: triclinic

"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

albite Scientific

/ ăl′bīt′ /

A clear to milky white triclinic mineral of the plagioclase group. Albite is common in igneous rocks, especially granite, and in metamorphic rocks that formed at low temperatures. Chemical formula: NaAlSi ₃ O ₈ .

Other Word Forms

albitic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of albite

1835–45; < Latin alb ( us ) white + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

albite

Practically all varieties of this mineral from anorthite to albite are known to occur in basalt, but by far the commonest species are bytownite and labradorite.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

One common variety was greenish-black, with large crystals of blackish albite.

From Geological Observations on South America by Charles Darwin

The original clastic characters of the strata are obscured and the rocks between Arrochar and Inverarnan in Glen Falloch merge into quartz-biotite gneisses and albite schists.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various

Felspars, 103; albite, 103; composition of, 103; labradorite, 220; oligoclase, 103, 214, 220; orthoclase, 103, 214, 220; phosphoric acid in, 211; potash manures, 213; potash in, percentage of, 213, 220.

From Manures and the principles of manuring by Charles Morton Aikman

The albite in these lavas is in a similar condition with the leucite of Vesuvius, and with the olivine, described by Von Buch, as projecting in great balls from the basalt of Lanzarote.

From Volcanic Islands by Charles Darwin

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023