evaporite

[ ih-vap-uh-rahyt ]
/ ɪˈvæp əˌraɪt /

noun Geology.

any sedimentary rock, as gypsum or rock salt, formed by precipitation from evaporating seawater.

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Origin of evaporite

First recorded in 1920–25; evapor(ation) + -ite1

Words nearby evaporite

evaporation, evaporation pan, evaporation pressure, evaporator, evaporimeter, evaporite, evapotranspiration, evaristus, evarts, evasion, evasive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for evaporite

  • Borates are mined from evaporite deposits at Searles Lake, California, and other desert locations.

    Deserts|A. S. Walker

British Dictionary definitions for evaporite

evaporite
/ (ɪˈvæpəˌraɪt) /

noun

any sedimentary rock, such as rock salt, gypsum, or anhydrite, formed by evaporation of former seas or salt-water lakes

Word Origin for evaporite

C20: evaporation + -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

Scientific definitions for evaporite

evaporite
[ ĭ-văp′ə-rīt′ ]

A sedimentary rock that consists of one or more minerals formed as precipitates from the evaporation of a saline solution, such as saltwater. Usually, the first evaporite to form from saltwater is calcium, followed by gypsum and then halite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.