barite

American  

[bair-ahyt, bar-] / ˈbɛər aɪt, ˈbær- /

noun

1. a common mineral, barium sulfate, BaSO 4 , occurring in white, yellow, or colorless tabular crystals: the principal ore of barium.

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barite British  

/ ˈbɛəraɪt /

noun

1. Also called: barytes, heavy spar. a colourless or white mineral consisting of barium sulphate in orthorhombic crystalline form, occurring in sedimentary rocks and with sulphide ores: a source of barium. Formula: BaSO 4

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barite Scientific  

/ bâr′īt /

1. A usually white, clear, or yellow orthorhombic mineral. Barite occurs as flattened blades or in a circular pattern of crystals that looks like a flower and, when colored red by iron stains, is called a desert rose. It is found in limestone, in clay-rich rocks, and in sandstones. Barite is used as a source of barium. Chemical formula: BaSO ₄ .

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Etymology

Origin of barite

First recorded in 1780–90; bar(ytes) + -ite ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barite

Because the barite gave the ichthyosaur’s bones a bright glow, the team was able to observe anatomical features that had been overlooked or obscured.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

Principe climbed through steep clay gullies looking for the raw Bologna rock, called barite.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2018

A barite mining operation at the Jebel Irhoud massif in Morocco, some 100 kilometers west of Marrakech, turned up a fossil human skull.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 8, 2017

Back in 1961, miners searching for the mineral barite stumbled on a stunningly complete fossil skull at Jebel Irhoud, 75 kilometers from Morocco’s west coast.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 7, 2017

There was silver and copper and uranium and barite, which Dad said oil-drilling rigs used.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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