jadeite

[ jey-dahyt ]

noun

a mineral, essentially sodium aluminum silicate, NaAlSi2O6, usually fibrous, occurring in compact masses, whitish to dark green: a form of jade.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of jadeite

First recorded in 1860–65; jade¹ + -ite¹

Words Nearby jadeite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jadeite in a sentence

Beside the commoner minerals five to eight per cent of implements made of nephritoids (nephrite, jadeite, and chloromelanite).
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe | John M. Tyler
Ornaments in the form of human and animal faces and heads nicely cut from jadeite and greenstone are not uncommon.
The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and Northern British Honduras | Thomas William Francis Gann
Close to the pots were found a small jadeite face and three greenstone beads or pendants.
The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and Northern British Honduras | Thomas William Francis Gann
She smiled: "jadeite, of course; and lapis and crystals—the usual."
The Business of Life | Robert W. Chambers
The principal jades belong, however, to one or the other of two species, jadeite and nephrite.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public | Frank Bertram Wade

British Dictionary definitions for jadeite

jadeite

/ (ˈdʒeɪdaɪt) /

noun

a usually green or white mineral of the clinopyroxene group, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. It is used as a gemstone (jade). Composition: sodium aluminium silicate. Formula: NaAlSi 2 O 6 . Crystal structure: monoclinic

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

Scientific definitions for jadeite

jadeite

[ jād′īt′ ]

A rare, usually green mineral of the pyroxene group. Jadeite can also occur in white, auburn, buff, or violet varieties. The most highly valued form of jade consists of jadeite. Chemical formula: NaAlSi2O6.

Browse