ironstone

American  

[ahy-ern-stohn] / ˈaɪ ərnˌstoʊn /

noun

1. any iron-bearing mineral or rock with siliceous impurities.

2. Also called ironstone china.  a hard white stoneware.

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ironstone British  

/ ˈaɪənˌstəʊn /

noun

1. any rock consisting mainly of an iron-bearing ore

2. Also called: ironstone china.  a tough durable earthenware

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Etymology

Origin of ironstone

First recorded in 1515–25; iron + stone

Example Sentences

After a long, hot bath, Gemini sent me to the Land of Iron museum in a neighboring town to learn about the area’s ironstone mining days and take a mine tour.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

There the ancient inhabitants of a balmy estuary that covered the area more than 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period, are entombed in ironstone nodules.

From Scientific American • Apr. 19, 2023

After ironstone deposits were discovered in the Eston Hills in 1842, everything changed.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2016

Meanwhile, Wheal Leisure’s miners continue to blast and chop away at the ironstone, hoping to find copper.

From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2015

Iorek held a small rock of some sort of ironstone in his left forepaw and struck it no more than three or four times on a similar one on the floor.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman