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galena

[guh-lee-nuh]
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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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Origin of galena

1595–1605; < Latin: lead ore
Also called ga·le·nite [guh-lee-nahyt] /gəˈli naɪt/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for galena

lead, galena, pewter, plumbic, plumbiferous, plumbous

Examples from the Web for galena

Historical Examples of galena

  • They proved to be a miner who had gone from Galena and a stout lad.

    Old Fort Snelling

    Marcus L. Hansen

  • We took a steamer from Galena to Stillwater, as everyone did in those days.

  • We drove in wagons with boards across for seats from Milwaukee to Galena.

  • About Dubuque, opposite Galena, are extensive and rich lead mines.

  • The Galena was managed and fought with great skill and daring.

British Dictionary definitions for galena

galena

galenite (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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Word Origin for galena

C17: from Latin: lead ore, dross left after melting lead
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

Word Origin and History for galena

n.

lead ore, lead sulphide, c.1600, from Latin galena "mix of silver and lead; dross from smelting lead," of unknown origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
galena in Science

galena

[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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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.