chalcopyrite

[ kal-kuh-pahy-rahyt ]

noun

a very common mineral, copper iron sulfide, CuFeS2, occurring in brass-yellow crystals or masses: the most important ore of copper; copper pyrites.

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Origin of chalcopyrite

First recorded in 1825–35; chalco- + pyrite

Words Nearby chalcopyrite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chalcopyrite in a sentence

The cobalt ores at these localities occur with pyrites and chalcopyrite as bands in gneiss.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5 | Various
Both chalcocite and chalcopyrite frequently occur in silver-bearing rocks.
Birds and all Nature Vol VII, No. 3, March 1900 | Various
Much of the copper of commerce is made from chalcopyrite and bornite, and these ores are more difficult to work.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry | William McPherson
Differs from chalcopyrite by paler color and much greater hardness.
Geology | William J. Miller
Copper-glance readily alters to other minerals, such as malachite, covellite, melaconite and chalcopyrite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for chalcopyrite

chalcopyrite

/ (ˌkælkəˈpaɪraɪt, -ˈpaɪə-) /

noun

a widely distributed yellow mineral consisting of a sulphide of copper and iron in tetragonal crystalline form: the principal ore of copper. Formula: CuFeS 2: Also called: copper pyrites

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

Scientific definitions for chalcopyrite

chalcopyrite

[ kăl′kə-pī′rīt′ ]

A brassy yellow, metallic, tetragonal mineral, usually occurring as shapeless masses of grains. Chalcopyrite is found in igneous rocks and copper-rich shales, and it is an important ore of copper. Because of its shiny look and often yellow color, it is sometimes mistaken for gold, and for this reason it is also called fool's gold. Chemical formula: CuFeS2.

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