diopside

[ dahy-op-sahyd, -sid ]

/ daɪˈɒp saɪd, -sɪd /

noun Mineralogy.

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

Nearby words

dionysus, dioon, diophantine analysis, diophantine equation, diophantus, diopside, diopsimeter, dioptase, diopter, dioptometer, dioptre

Origin of diopside

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

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

Examples from the Web for diopside

The augite is mostly a variety of diopside and is only occasionally idiomorphic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 10|Various
Here it is believed to be an alteration product of diopside (lime-magnesia pyroxene) in a contact-metamorphic silicated zone.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith
Diopside, dī-op′sid, n. a grayish and readily cleavable variety of pyroxene.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for diopside

diopside

/ (daɪˈɒpsaɪd, -sɪd) /

noun

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

Word Origin for diopside

C19: from di- ² + Greek opsis sight, appearance + -ide

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

Science definitions for diopside

diopside

[ dī-ŏp′sīd′ ]

A light green, monoclinic variety of pyroxene, used as a gemstone and as a refractory material. Chemical formula: CaMgSi2O6.