cristobalite

American

[kri-stoh-buh-lahyt] / krɪˈstoʊ bəˌlaɪt /

noun

Mineralogy.

a polymorph of quartz occurring in volcanic rock in the form of colorless, translucent crystals.

cristobalite British

/ krɪsˈtəʊbəˌlaɪt /

noun

a white microcrystalline mineral consisting of silica and occurring in volcanic rocks. Formula: SiO 2

"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 cristobalite

1885–90; named after San Cristóbal, a hill near Pachuca de Soto, Mexico; see -ite ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023