microcline

[ mahy-kruh-klahyn ]

/ ˈmaɪ krəˌklaɪn /

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.

Words nearby microcline

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

Origin of microcline

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for microcline

At Danbury the mineral occurs with microcline and oligoclase embedded in dolomite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various
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

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.