halite

American  

[hal-ahyt, hey-lahyt] / ˈhæl aɪt, ˈheɪ laɪt /

noun

1. a soft white or colorless mineral, sodium chloride, NaCl, occurring in cubic crystals with perfect cleavage; rock salt.

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halite British  

/ ˈhælaɪt /

noun

1. Also called: rock salt.  a colourless or white mineral sometimes tinted by impurities, found in beds as an evaporite. It is used to produce common salt and chlorine. Composition: sodium chloride. Formula: NaCl. Crystal structure: cubic

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halite Scientific  

/ hăl′īt′,hā′līt′ /

1. A colorless or white mineral occurring as cubic crystals. Halite is found in dried lakebeds in arid climates and is used as table salt. Chemical formula: NaCl.

2. See more at salt

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Etymology

Origin of halite

First recorded in 1865–70; hal- + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

“Further down, no bracing is needed; the salt has fused into solid rock” known to geologists as halite, or rock salt, Bohorquez tells us.

From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2017

This is also known as the mineral halite or common table salt.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Examples of minerals are feldspar, quartz, mica, halite, calcite, and amphibole.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Discovery of abundant cellulose microfibers encased in 250 Ma Permian halite: a macromolecular target in the search for life on other planets, Astrobiology, 8:1–14.

From Forbes • Jan. 1, 2014

Soluble minerals like halite can't be washed, but should be rinsed with alcohol.

From Let's Collect Rocks and Shells by Shell Union Oil Corporation