bauxite

American  

[bawk-sahyt, boh-zahyt] / ˈbɔk saɪt, ˈboʊ zaɪt /

noun

1. a rock consisting of aluminum oxides and hydroxides with various impurities: the principal ore of aluminum.

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bauxite British  

/ ˈbɔːksaɪt /

noun

1. a white, red, yellow, or brown amorphous claylike substance comprising aluminium oxides and hydroxides, often with such impurities as iron oxides. It is the chief ore of aluminium. General formula: Al 2 O 3 . n H 2 O

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bauxite Scientific  

/ bôk′sīt′ /

1. A soft, whitish to reddish-brown rock consisting mainly of hydrous aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides along with silica, silt, iron hydroxides, and clay minerals. Bauxite forms from the breakdown of clays and is a major source of aluminum.

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Other Word Forms

• bauxitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of bauxite

1860–65; named after Les Baux, near Arles in S France; -ite ¹

Example Sentences

In a country that continues to grapple with high levels of poverty despite plentiful natural resources – including the world's largest reserves of bauxite, which is used to make aluminium - this idea strikes a chord.

From BBC

Prices for bauxite and nickel pale in comparison to copper, lithium, or even tin, which are mined across other South American countries such as Brazil and Chile.

From Barron's

The country is rich in minerals, including bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold and uranium, yet its people remain among the poorest in West Africa.

From BBC

It is a major global supplier of bauxite, a type of rock that is rich in aluminium.

From Barron's

The U.S.—which doesn’t have large reserves of bauxite, the rock traditionally used to make the metal—produces less than 17% of the country’s needs.

From The Wall Street Journal