cassiterite

American

[kuh-sit-uh-rahyt] / kəˈsɪt əˌraɪt /

noun

a brown or black mineral, tin dioxide, SnO 2 , that crystallizes in the tetragonal system; tinstone: the principal ore of tin.

cassiterite British

/ kəˈsɪtəˌraɪt /

noun

Also called: tinstone. a black or brown mineral, found in igneous rocks and hydrothermal veins. It is a source of tin. Composition: tin oxide. Formula: SnO 2 . Crystal structure: tetragonal

"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

Etymology

Origin of cassiterite

1855–60; < Greek kassíter ( os ) tin + -ite ¹

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.

See Examples For:

cassiterite

On the recent trip into the forest, they found a recently abandoned gold mine and the active mine harvesting cassiterite, the main ore to make tin.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2023

The principle tin ore is the oxide cassiterite, SnO2, and the principle lead and thallium ores are the sulfides or the products of weathering of the sulfides.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Eastern Congo is blessed with gold, coltan, cassiterite and other minerals.

From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2012

Congo is rich in coltan, used in mobile phones and other consumer electronics, and cassiterite, or tin ore.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 16, 2012

Stannite probably alters to "wood tin," a fibrous variety of cassiterite.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith

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