Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

microcline

[mahy-kruh-klahyn]
See more synonyms for microcline on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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.
Show More

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for microcline

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • Orthoclase and microcline feldspar are used in the manufacture of porcelain and chinaware.

    Geology

    William J. Miller

  • The felspar of the granulites is mostly orthoclase or cryptoperthite; microcline, oligoclase and albite are also common.

British Dictionary definitions for microcline

microcline

noun
  1. 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
Show More

Word Origin

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
microcline in Science

microcline

[mī′krō-klīn′]
  1. 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.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.