anorthite
[an-awr-thahyt]
- a white or gray feldspar mineral, CaAl2Si2O8, calcic plagioclase.
Show More
Origin of anorthite
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for anorthite
Historical Examples
Anorthite occurs in white translucent or transparent crystals.
GeologyJames Geikie
Anorthite is an essential constituent of many basic igneous rocks, such as gabbro and basalt, also of some meteoric stones.
Rougemonite consists largely of anorthite with pyroxene as the only important ferro-magnesian constituent.
Montreal 1535-1914 under the French RgimeWilliam Henry Atherton
Like labradorite and anorthite, it is a common constituent of basic igneous rocks, such as gabbro and basalt.
anorthite
- a white to greyish-white or reddish-white mineral of the feldspar group and plagioclase series, found chiefly in igneous rocks and more rarely in metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Composition: calcium aluminium silicate. Formula: CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 . Crystal structure: triclinic
Show More
Word Origin
C19: from an- + ortho- + -ite 1
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
anorthite
[ăn-ôr′thīt]
- A white to gray triclinic mineral of the plagioclase feldspar group. Anorthite is the plagioclase mineral that is richest in calcium and occurs in alkaline igneous rocks such as gabbro. Chemical formula: CaAl2Si2O8.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.