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; see -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bauxite

Recycling aluminium, which can be done infinitely, means less is being extracted from bauxite mines, which have huge impacts on communities and the environment from habitat destruction, contamination of soil and harm to human health.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The metal is extracted from minerals and rocks such as bauxite and does not occur naturally in its pure form.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

“As bauxite and alumina stockpiles dwindle, more Middle Eastern aluminum supply is expected to be curtailed,” Dhar says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

But it is also rich in gold and diamonds as well as bauxite and coltan, a mineral that contains a metal used in mobile phones, laptops and other electronics.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

He has skills developed operating heavy machinery, laboring over a stew of molten bauxite at Kaiser Aluminum, once one of the best jobs in Spokane, Washington, a city of 200,000.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times