glaucophane

[glaw-kuh-feyn]

noun

1. a sodium-rich monoclinic mineral of the amphibole family, usually metamorphic.

glaucophane

1. A blue to grayish-blue or bluish-black monoclinic mineral of the amphibole group. Glaucophane occurs as fibrous prisms in schists (especially blueschists) formed by the regional metamorphism of sodium-rich rocks. Chemical formula: Na ₂ (Mg,Fe) ₃ Al ₂ Si ₈ O ₂₂ (OH) ₂ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of glaucophane¹

First recorded in 1840–50; glauco- + -phane ( def. )

Example Sentences

Other minerals which have been found in eclogites are bronzite, olivine and glaucophane.

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Glaucophane rocks are widely spread.

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These home-kept old boots were lovely in their way, hoary with mould running into the most exquisite tints of glaucophane and blue-grey, but it was a different way altogether from that of the wild boot.

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G.L.I.S.—ah! "Glistering thro' deeps of glaucophane"—that's nothing.

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