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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.

See Examples For:

amphibole

The most common amphibole, hornblende, is usually black; however, they come in a variety of colors depending on their chemical composition.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

In amphibole structures, the silica tetrahedra are linked in a double chain that has an oxygen-to- silicon ratio lower than that of pyroxene, and hence still fewer cations are necessary to balance the charge.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Examples of minerals are feldspar, quartz, mica, halite, calcite, and 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

These lavas, destitute of amphibole and mica, are of a blackish brown, often varying to the deepest olive green.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Thomasina Ross

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