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amphibole

American

[am-fuh-bohl] / ˈæm fəˌboʊl /

noun

Mineralogy.

any of a complex group of hydrous silicate minerals, containing chiefly calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and aluminum, and including hornblende, tremolite, asbestos, etc., occurring as important constituents of many rocks.

amphibole British

/ ˈæmfɪˌbəʊl /

noun

any of a large group of minerals consisting of the silicates of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, and aluminium, usually in the form of long slender dark-coloured crystals. Members of the group, including hornblende, actinolite, and tremolite, are common constituents of igneous rocks

"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

amphibole Scientific

/ ăm′fə-bōl′ /

Any of a large group of usually dark minerals composed of a silicate joined to various metals, such as magnesium, iron, calcium or sodium. Amphiboles occur as columnar or fibrous prismatic crystals in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Most are monoclinic, but some are orthorhombic. Hornblende, actinolite and glaucophane are amphiboles. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe,Ca,Na) _2-3 (Mg,Fe,Al) ₅ (Si,Al) ₈ O ₂₂ OH ₂ .

Etymology

Origin of amphibole

1600–10; < French < Late Latin amphibolus amphibolous

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.

This effect is especially strong if the new minerals are platy like mica or elongated like amphibole.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

At 15 km to 20 km, larger micas form to produce schist, and at 20 km to 25 km amphibole, feldspar, and quartz form to produce gneiss.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

A rock that is dominated by aligned crystals of amphibole.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The equation shown here is for olivine, but it could apply to almost any other ferromagnesian silicate, including pyroxene, amphibole, or biotite.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

In these the minerals have a parallel arrangement, the felspars are often broken down by pressure into a mosaic of irregular grains, while greenish fibrous or bladed amphibole takes the place of pyroxene and olivine.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various

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