columbite

[ kuh-luhm-bahyt ]

/ kəˈlʌm baɪt /

Save This Word!

noun

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of columbite

First recorded in 1795–1805; columb(ium) + -ite¹

Words nearby columbite

Columbia Heights, Columbian, Columbia River, columbic, columbine, columbite, columbium, columbous, Columbus, Columbus Air Force Base, Columbus, Christopher

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

How to use columbite in a sentence

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

/ (kəˈlʌmbaɪt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for columbite

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