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clay mineral

American  

noun

  1. any of a group of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals, as kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite, that constitute the major portion of most clays.


clay mineral British  

noun

  1. any of a group of minerals consisting of hydrated aluminium silicates: the major constituents of clays

"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 clay mineral

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

These included hospital and micro-CT scans, thin sections, X-ray spectroscopy, clay mineral analyses, and a close study of the rock layers where the fossils were found.

From Science Daily

MIT geologists have found that a clay mineral on the seafloor, called smectite, has a surprisingly powerful ability to sequester carbon over millions of years.

From Science Daily

By their estimates, the clay mineral could have increased the preservation of organic carbon by less than one-tenth of a percent.

From Science Daily

With time, as the soft tissue decayed, a white-colored clay mineral called kaolinite filled the void left by the brain.

From New York Times

For the months that Korean spas were shut down during the pandemic, customers were aching to go back to their reliable sources of relaxation and escape — whether it was getting a body scrub; alternating between the hot tub and a cold bath; or lying in sauna rooms lined with gold, clay, mineral salt or ice.

From Los Angeles Times