marcasite

American  

[mahr-kuh-sahyt] / ˈmɑr kəˌsaɪt /

noun

1. Also called white iron pyrites.  a common mineral, iron disulfide, FeS 2 , chemically similar to pyrite but crystallizing in the orthorhombic system.

2. any of the crystallized forms of iron pyrites, much used in the 18th century for ornaments.

3. a specimen or ornament of this substance.

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marcasite British  

/ ˈmɑːkəˌsaɪt, ˌmɑːkəˈsɪtɪkəl /

noun

1. a metallic pale yellow mineral consisting of iron sulphide in orthorhombic crystalline form used in jewellery. Formula: FeS 2

2. a cut and polished form of steel or any white metal used for making jewellery

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marcasite Scientific  

/ mär′kə-sīt′,-zīt′ /

1. A light yellow to gray, metallic, orthorhombic mineral. Marcasite is a polymorph of pyrite and looks similar to it but has a lower specific gravity, is paler in color, and often has a radiating fibrous structure. Chemical formula: FeS ₂ .

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Other Word Forms

• marcasitical adjective

Etymology

Origin of marcasite

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin marcasīta < Arabic marqashīṭā < Aramaic marqəshītā

Example Sentences

In 1918 his collection included a lizard bag with marcasite and a buckle of lapis lazuli.

From New York Times • May 27, 2013

Nor has the neighborhood been transformed — gentrification hasn’t yet displaced the vendors of bootleg perfume, gray-market cellphones and marcasite jewelry.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2011

Instead, we wore massive silver rings with brightly colored jewels and plenty of marcasite.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Some concretions are amorphous, e.g. phosphatic nodules; others are cryptocrystalline, e.g. flint and chert; others finely crystalline, e.g. pyrites, sphaerosiderite; others consist of large crystals, e.g. gypsum, barytes, pyrites and marcasite.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various

Pyriten argenteum was either marcasite or mispickel, neither of which offers much suggestion; nor are we able to hazard an explanation of value.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius