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

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

And although Lloyds operates mines in India and elsewhere, and has been leasing out mining equipment in Congo since 2018, the company’s experience lies mainly in iron ore, bauxite and coal in Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

But Venezuela is also rich in minerals such as gold and diamonds, as well as bauxite, coltan and other rare materials used to make computers and mobile phones.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

About four to five tons of bauxite ore is required to produce two tons of alumina, and in turn it takes about two tons of alumina to yield one ton of aluminum.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 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