magnetite

[ mag-ni-tahyt ]

noun
  1. a very common black iron oxide mineral, Fe3O4, that is strongly attracted by magnets: an important iron ore.

Origin of magnetite

1
1850–55; magnet + -ite1; compare German Magnetit

Words Nearby magnetite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use magnetite in a sentence

  • Deposits of iron ore accumulated in the several ways referred to above may be metamorphosed and changed to hematite and magnetite.

    North America | Israel C. Russell

British Dictionary definitions for magnetite

magnetite

/ (ˈmæɡnɪˌtaɪt) /


noun
  1. a black magnetic mineral, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks and as a separate deposit. It is a source of iron. Composition: iron oxide. Formula: Fe 3 O 4 . Crystal structure: cubic

Derived forms of magnetite

  • magnetitic (ˌmæɡnɪˈtɪtɪk), adjective

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 magnetite

magnetite

[ măgnĭ-tīt′ ]


  1. A brown to black mineral that is strongly magnetic. It crystallizes in the cubic system and commonly occurs as small octahedrons. Magnetite occurs in many different types of rock and is an important source of iron. Chemical formula: Fe3O4.

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