alumin-

Alumin- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “aluminum,” a silvery-white metallic element. It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

In some instances, alumin- is used to specifically mean alum or alumina, two compounds that contain aluminum, as in the term aluminosis.

Alumin- ultimately comes from Latin alumen, meaning “bitter salt,” in reference to an astringent substance known as potash alum.

What are variants of alumin-?

Alumin- is a variant of alumino-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for alumino-.

One example of a term from mineralogy that features the form alumin- is aluminite, also known as websterite, “a mineral, hydrous aluminum sulfate, occurring in white, chalky masses.”

The alumin- part of the word represents “aluminum,” and the suffix -ite is used to name minerals and fossils. Aluminite literally means “aluminum mineral.”

What are some words that use the combining form alumin-?

• aluminate
• aluminize
• aluminosis
• aluminous (using the equivalent form of alumin- in Latin or French)
• aluminous cement

What are some other forms that alumin- may be commonly confused with?

• allelo-
• allo-
• amphi-
• anthropo-

The suffix -ate is used to name the salts of acids. For example, nitrate is a salt of nitric acid. With this is mind, what is aluminate?