microcline

[ mahy-kruh-klahyn ]

/ ˈmaɪ krəˌklaɪn /

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noun

a mineral of the feldspar group, potassium aluminum silicate, KAlSi3O8, identical in composition with orthoclase but having triclinic instead of monoclinic crystals, used in making porcelain.

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Origin of microcline

1840–50; micro- + -cline<Greek klī́nein to lean¹, referring to the angles between its cleavage planes, which differ slightly from 90°

Words nearby microcline

microcircuit, microcircuitry, microcirculation, microclimate, microclimatology, microcline, Micrococcaceae, micrococcus, microcode, microcolon, microcomponent

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How to use microcline in a sentence

The felspar of the granulites is mostly orthoclase or cryptoperthite; microcline, oligoclase and albite are also common.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3|Various
Orthoclase and microcline feldspar are used in the manufacture of porcelain and chinaware.
Geology|William J. Miller
At Danbury the mineral occurs with microcline and oligoclase embedded in dolomite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various
The common color of microcline is white to pale yellow, but occasionally green and red occur.
Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 2 [July 1902]|Various

British Dictionary definitions for microcline

microcline

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌklaɪn) /

noun

a white, creamy yellow, red, or green mineral of the feldspar group, found in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks: used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Composition: potassium aluminium silicate. Formula: KAlSi 3 O 8 . Crystal structure: triclinic

Word Origin for microcline

C19: from German Mikroklin, from mikro- micro- + Greek klinein to lean; so called because its cleavage plane is slightly different from 90°

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 microcline

microcline

[ mī′krō-klīn′ ]

A white, pink, red-brown, or green type of potassium feldspar. It is dimorphous with orthoclase feldspar, differing from it in shape and in the fact that it forms at lower temperatures.Chemical formula: KAlSi3O8.