feldspar

[ feld-spahr, fel- ]
/ ˈfɛldˌspɑr, ˈfɛl- /

noun

any of a group of minerals, principally aluminosilicates of potassium, sodium, and calcium, characterized by two cleavages at nearly right angles: one of the most important constituents of igneous rocks.

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Also felspar.

Origin of feldspar

1750–60; feld- (< German: field) + spar3; replacing feldspath < German (Feld field + Spath spar)

Words nearby feldspar

feisty, felafel, feldene, feldenkrais method, feldsher, feldspar, feldspathic, feldspathoid, felice, felicia, felicific
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for feldspar

British Dictionary definitions for feldspar

feldspar

felspar

/ (ˈfɛldˌspɑː, ˈfɛlˌspɑː) /

noun

any of a group of hard rock-forming minerals consisting of aluminium silicates of potassium, sodium, calcium, or barium: the principal constituents of igneous rocks. The group includes orthoclase, microcline, and the plagioclase minerals

Derived forms of feldspar

feldspathic (fɛldˈspæθɪk, fɛlˈspæθ-), felspathic, feldspathose or felspathose, adjective

Word Origin for feldspar

C18: from German feldspat (h), from feld field + spat (h) spar ³
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 feldspar

feldspar
[ fĕld′spär′, fĕl′- ]

Any of a group of abundant monoclinic or triclinic minerals having the general formula MAl(Al,Si)3O8, where M is either potassium (K), sodium (Na), or calcium (Ca) or less commonly barium (Ba), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), or iron (Fe). Feldspars range from white, pink, or brown to grayish blue in color. They occur in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and make up more than 60 percent of the Earth's crust. When they decompose, feldspars form clay or the mineral kaolinite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.