columbite

[ kuh-luhm-bahyt ]

/ kəˈlʌm baɪt /

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.

Nearby words

columbia mental maturity scale, columbia river, columbian, columbic, columbine, columbite, columbium, columbous, columbus, columbus air force base, columbus day

Origin of columbite

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for columbite

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