leucite

American  

[loo-sahyt] / ˈlu saɪt /

noun

1. a whitish or grayish mineral, potassium aluminum silicate, KAlSi 2 O 6 , found in alkali volcanic rocks.

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leucite British  

/ luːˈsɪtɪk, ˈluːsaɪt /

noun

1. a grey or white mineral consisting of potassium aluminium silicate: a source of potash for fertilizers and of aluminium. Formula: KAlSi 2 O 6

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Other Word Forms

• leucitic adjective
• pseudoleucite noun

Etymology

Origin of leucite

From the German word Leukit, dating back to 1790–1800. See leuco-, -ite ¹

Example Sentences

There are great beds of it in the green sands of New Jersey, the Cartersville slates of Georgia, and the leucite rocks of Wyoming.

From Time Magazine Archive

Minerals of the felspathoid group occur in a large number of basaltic rocks; nepheline and leucite are the most common, but ha�yne is occasionally present.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

Section of leucite crystal from the lava of 1868, with fluid cavities.

From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Hull, Edward

The albite in these lavas is in a similar condition with the leucite of Vesuvius, and with the olivine, described by Von Buch, as projecting in great balls from the basalt of Lanzarote.

From Volcanic Islands by Darwin, Charles

Crystal of augite with banded walls, and indented by leucite crystals, from the lava of 1794.

From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Hull, Edward