augite

American  

[aw-jahyt] / ˈɔ dʒaɪt /

noun

1. a silicate mineral, chiefly of calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum: a dark-green to black variety of monoclinic pyroxene, characteristic of basic rocks.

---

augite British  

/ ɔːˈɡɪtɪk, ˈɔːɡaɪt /

noun

1. a black or greenish-black mineral of the pyroxene group, found in igneous rocks. Composition: calcium magnesium iron aluminium silicate. General formula: (Ca,Mg,Fe,Al)(Si,Al) 2 O 6 . Crystal structure: monoclinic

---

augite Scientific  

/ ô′jīt′ /

1. A glassy, dark-green to black variety of pyroxene. Chemical formula: (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al)(Si,Al) ₂ O ₆ .

---

Other Word Forms

• augitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of augite

1780–90; < Latin augītis a kind of precious stone < Greek, equivalent to aug ( ḗ ) sunlight + -ītis, feminine of -ītēs -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Like obsidian, in fact, their edges are sharp but the shards have an almost twirly shape and lack the crystalline structure of black-colored minerals like augite or tourmaline.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

Uralite, ū′ral-īt, n. a mineral with the crystalline form of augite and the cleavage and specific gravity of hornblende.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

It is now applied to the dark-coloured aluminous members of the monoclinic amphiboles, occupying in this group the same position that augite occupies in the pyroxene group.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various

Diallage, dī′al-āj, n. a mineral nearly allied to augite, brown, gray, or green in colour, laminated in structure, with a metallic lustre when broken across.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Uralitisā′tion, the paramorphic change of augite to hornblende.—v.t.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various