galena

American  

[guh-lee-nuh] / gəˈli nə /

noun

1. a common, heavy mineral, lead sulfide, PbS, occurring in lead-gray crystals, usually cubes, and cleavable masses: the principal ore of lead.

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galena British  

/ ɡəˈliːnə, ɡəˈliːnaɪt /

noun

1. a grey mineral, found in hydrothermal veins. It is the chief source of lead. Composition: lead sulphide. Formula: PbS. Crystal structure: cubic

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galena Scientific  

/ gə-lē′nə /

1. A gray, metallic mineral occurring in cube-shaped crystals within veins of igneous rock or in sedimentary rocks. It is the main ore of lead. Chemical formula: PbS.

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Etymology

Origin of galena

1595–1605; < Latin: lead ore

Example Sentences

And they recovered decorative beads made from copper and galena that likely originated in central North America.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 10, 2023

Sometimes Guerra will have the rich caldo de galena, a chicken soup made with an older hen chock-full of flavor, while other days it will be the Kak’ik.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2023

See the cleavage surfaces on galena above or plagioclase below.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Cubic cleavage of galena; note how the cleavage surfaces show up as different but parallel layers in the crystal.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Soon they’d hear Mama calling them from the galena, a scold in her voice.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez