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autunite

American  
[awt-n-ahyt, oh-tuhn-ahyt] / ˈɔt nˌaɪt, oʊˈtʌn aɪt /

noun

  1. a yellow mineral, a hydrous calcium uranium phosphate, CaU 2 P 2 O 12 ⋅8H 2 O, occurring in crystals as nearly square tablets: a minor ore of uranium.

autunite British  
/ ˈɔːtəˌnaɪt /

noun

  1. a yellowish fluorescent radioactive mineral consisting of a hydrated calcium uranium phosphate in tetragonal crystalline form. It is found in uranium ores. Formula: Ca(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 .10–12H 2 O

"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

Etymology

Origin of autunite

First recorded in 1850–55; named after Autun, a city in eastern France near source of supply; -ite 1

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.

The yellow rocks were autunite, a uranium-bearing ore, and the strike looked like the most promising yet made in the U.S.

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.