gahnite

[gah-nahyt]

noun

1. a dark-green to black mineral of the spinel group, zinc aluminate, ZnAl 2 O 4 .

gahnite

/ ˈɡɑːnaɪt /

noun

1. a dark green mineral of the spinel group consisting of zinc aluminium oxide. Formula: ZnAl 2 O 4

Word History and Origins

Origin of gahnite¹

1800–10; named after J. G. Gahn (1745–1818), Swedish chemist; -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of gahnite¹

C19: named after J. G. Gahn (1745–1818), Swedish chemist; see _-ite ¹

Example Sentences

Spinel, spin′el, or spi-nel′, n. a mineral composed chiefly of magnesia and alumina, and crystallising in octahedra—ruby, or magnesia spinel, reddish; pleonaste, dark green to black; picotite, or chrome spinel, black; gahnite, or zinc spinel, green to brown; hercynite, or iron spinel, black.

Read more on Project Gutenberg

Associated with franklinite at Franklin Furnace, and found also at some other localities, is another member of the spinel group, namely, gahnite or zinc-spinel, which is a zinc aluminate, ZnAl2O4, with a little of the zinc replaced by iron and manganese.

Read more on Project Gutenberg