bauxite

American

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

noun

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

bauxite British

/ ˈbɔːksaɪt /

noun

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

"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

bauxite Scientific

/ bôk′sīt′ /

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.

Other Word Forms

bauxitic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of bauxite

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

Vocabulary lists containing bauxite

South America - Middle School

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South America - High School

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Central America and the Caribbean - Middle School and High School

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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.

Bauxite ore, the primary source of aluminum, is abundant in the earth’s crust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Bauxite is the world's main source of aluminum.

From Reuters • Nov. 4, 2023

Bauxite typically is found in the topsoil and extracted through strip mining, which requires removing layers of soil and rock to access the minerals below.

From Washington Post • Oct. 25, 2019

Bauxite mining on the western side of Rennell has been shadowed by allegations of rampant corruption, deception of landowners and regulatory violations.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2019

Bauxite appears in quantity deposits in several areas.

From Area Handbook for Albania by Elpern, Sarah Jane

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