limonite

[ lahy-muh-nahyt ]

/ ˈlaɪ məˌnaɪt /

noun Mineralogy.

an amorphous hydrated ferric oxide, varying in color from dark brown to yellow, used as an ore of iron.

Nearby words

limnology, limnophilous, limo, limoges, limonene, limonite, limonitic, limousin, limousine, limousine liberal, limp

Origin of limonite

1815–25; < Greek leimṓn meadow + -ite¹

Related formsli·mo·nit·ic

[lahy-muh-nit-ik] /ˌlaɪ məˈnɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for limonite

Brown hematite, or limonite, has a chestnut brown color and contains very nearly sixty per cent.
Commercial Geography|Jacques W. Redway
On weathering, magnetite commonly passes into limonite, the ferrous oxide having probably been removed by carbonated waters.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 4|Various
The green sand when weathered is brown or rusty coloured, the glauconite being oxidized to limonite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1|Various
When hematite rusts, the brownish-yellow or yellow iron oxide, limonite, results.
Birds and all Nature, Vol. VI, No. 4, November 1899|Various

Bauxite is a limonite iron ore in which a part of the iron has been replaced by aluminum.
The A B C of Mining|Charles A. Bramble

British Dictionary definitions for limonite

limonite

/ (ˈlaɪməˌnaɪt) /

noun

a common brown, black, or yellow amorphous secondary mineral that consists of hydrated ferric oxides and is a source of iron. Formula: FeO(OH). n H 2 O

Derived Formslimonitic (ˌlaɪməˈnɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for limonite

C19: probably from Greek leimōn, translation of earlier German name, Wiesenerz meadow ore

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