albite

[al-bahyt]

noun Mineralogy.

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

Origin of albite

1835–45; < Latin alb(us) white + -ite¹

Related formsal·bit·ic

[al-bit-ik] /ælˈbɪt ɪk/, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for albite

Historical Examples of albite

Some of the trachytic lavas are said to abound with crystals of albite.
Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I
Karl Ritter von Scherzer
Albite found at Mineral Hill, Pennsylvania, also exhibits the chatoyancy of moonstone.
Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 2 [July 1902]
Various
The felspar of the granulites is mostly orthoclase or cryptoperthite; microcline, oligoclase and albite are also common.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3
Various
Small groups of black twin crystals have been lately discovered in the albite rock of Chesterfield in Massachusetts.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines
Andrew Ure
Zygadite, zig′a-dīt, n. a variety of albite found in thin twin crystals at Andreasberg, in the Harz Mountains.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for albite

albite

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

Derived Formsalbitic (ælˈbɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for albite

C19: from Latin albus white

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 in Science

albite

[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: NaAlSi3O8.