autunite

American

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

noun

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

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.

From Time Magazine Archive

Autunite, a hydrous phosphate of uranium and calcium, crystallizing in the rhombic system in yellow plates.

From Project Gutenberg

Autunite is usually found with pitchblende and other uranium minerals, or with ores of silver, tin and iron; it sometimes coats joint-planes in gneiss and pegmatite.

From Project Gutenberg

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