Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

columbite

[kuh-luhm-bahyt]
See more synonyms for columbite on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a black, crystalline mineral, iron niobate, (Fe, Mn)Nb2O6, the principal ore of niobium, an end member of a series of solid solutions in which manganese and tantalum combine to form tantalite.
Show More

Origin of columbite

First recorded in 1795–1805; columb(ium) + -ite1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for columbite

Historical Examples

  • Columbium pentoxide (columbic acid), Cb2O5, is obtained from columbite, after the removal of tantalum (see above).

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for columbite

columbite

noun
  1. a black mineral consisting of a niobium oxide of iron and manganese in orthorhombic crystalline form: occurs in coarse granite, often with tantalite, and is an ore of niobium. Formula: (Fe, Mn)(Nb) 2 O 6Also called: niobite
Show More

Word Origin

C19: from columbium + -ite 1
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