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

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