melanite

[mel-uh-nahyt]

noun Mineralogy.

a deep black variety of andradite garnet.

Origin of melanite

First recorded in 1800–10; melan- + -ite¹

Related formsmel·a·nit·ic

[mel-uh-nit-ik] /ˌmɛl əˈnɪt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for melanite

Historical Examples of melanite

Biotite occurs in some of these rocks, and melanite also is present.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 5
Various
Melanite is found in some of the lavas, as in the leucite-syenites.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 5
Various
The dark matrix consists of biotite, aegirine-augite and melanite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3
Various
Their pyroxene is principally aegirine or aegirine augite; some of them are rich in melanite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 5
Various

British Dictionary definitions for melanite

melanite

noun

a black variety of andradite garnet

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