diopside

American  

[dahy-op-sahyd, -sid] / daɪˈɒp saɪd, -sɪd /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. a monoclinic pyroxene mineral, calcium magnesium silicate, CaMg(SiO3 ) 2 , occurring in various colors, usually in crystals.

---

diopside British  

/ -sɪd, daɪˈɒpsaɪd /

noun

1. a colourless or pale-green pyroxene mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form: used as a gemstone. Formula: CaMgSi 2 O 6

---

diopside Scientific  

/ dī-ŏp′sīd′ /

1. A light green, monoclinic variety of pyroxene, used as a gemstone and as a refractory material. Chemical formula: CaMgSi ₂ O ₆ .

---

Etymology

Origin of diopside

1800–10; di- ³ + Greek óps(is) appearance + -ide ( def. )

Example Sentences

Some keepsakes were harder to reproduce than others, though, including the uniquely shaped uncut mineral-green diopside pendant encased in a heavy gold setting that her father gave to her mother as an engagement present in 1969.

From New York Times

Greek jewelry designer Ileana Makri's graceful multi-shaped branch ear cuff is made of 18-karat gold set with round yellow sapphire, square rhodolite and oval chrome diopside with pear-shaped orange sapphire.

From Los Angeles Times

The purer beds recrystallize as marbles, but where there has been originally an admixture of sand or clay lime-bearing silicates are formed, such as diopside, epidote, garnet, sphene, vesuvianite, scapolite; with these phlogopite, various felspars, pyrites, quartz and actinolite often occur.

From Project Gutenberg

Diopside, dī-op′sid, n. a grayish and readily cleavable variety of pyroxene.

From Project Gutenberg

The augite is mostly a variety of diopside and is only occasionally idiomorphic.

From Project Gutenberg