cordierite

[kawr-dee-uh-rahyt]

noun

a strongly dichroic blue mineral consisting of a silicate of magnesium, aluminum, and iron: common in metamorphic rocks.

Origin of cordierite

1805–15; named after Pierre L. A. Cordier (1777–1861), French geologist; see -ite¹

Also called dichroite, iolite.

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British Dictionary definitions for cordierite

cordierite

noun

a grey or violet-blue dichroic mineral that consists of magnesium aluminium iron silicate in orthorhombic crystalline form and is found in metamorphic rocks. Formula: (Mg,Fe) 2 AL 4 Si 5 O 18 .nH 2 OAlso called: dichroite, iolite

Word Origin for cordierite

C19: named after Pierre L. A. Cordier (1777–1861), French geologist who described it

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

cordierite in Science

cordierite

[kôr′dē-ə-rīt′]

A light-blue to dark-blue or gray orthorhombic mineral. Cordierite is a silicate of magnesium, aluminum, and sometimes iron, and is found in granites and in metamorphic rocks that form under relatively low-pressure conditions. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe)2Al4Si5O18.