mineral

[ min-er-uhl, min-ruhl ]

/ ˈmɪn ər əl, ˈmɪn rəl /

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See synonyms for: mineral / minerals on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually comprising inorganic substances, as quartz or feldspar, of definite chemical composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural products of organic origin, as asphalt or coal.

a substance obtained by mining, as ore.

(loosely) any substance that is neither animal nor vegetable.

minerals, British. mineral water.

Nutrition. any of the inorganic elements, as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, or sodium, that are essential to the functioning of the human body and are obtained from foods.

adjective

of the nature of a mineral; pertaining to a mineral or minerals.

containing or impregnated with a mineral or minerals.

neither animal nor vegetable; inorganic: mineral matter.

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Origin of mineral

1375–1425; late Middle English <Middle French, Old French mineral<Medieval Latin minerāle (noun), minerālis (adj.), equivalent to miner(a) mine, ore (<Old French miniere<Vulgar Latin *mināria; min- (see mine²) + Latin -āria-ary) + -āle, -ālis-al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM mineral

non·min·er·al, noun, adjectivesem·i·min·er·al, adjective

Words nearby mineral

minefield, minehunter, minelayer, Mineola, miner, mineral, mineral charcoal, mineralize, mineralizer, mineral jelly, mineral kingdom

Definition for mineral (2 of 2)

mineral.

abbreviation

mineralogical.

mineralogy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for mineral

Clay-like minerals often associated with organic matter on Earth have been found on Europa, raising even more hopes that we might be able to detect ongoing biological activity on the Jovian moon.
The 5 best places to explore in the solar system—besides Mars|Neel Patel|August 17, 2020|MIT Technology Review
That suggested the material was biological, not made solely of minerals.
Early dinosaurs may have laid soft-shelled eggs|Jack J. Lee|August 3, 2020|Science News For Students
SuperCam will shoot rocks with a laser from more than seven meters away, vaporizing a tiny bit of the minerals.
NASA’s Perseverance rover will seek signs of past life on Mars|Lisa Grossman|July 28, 2020|Science News
We took it to the lab and examined it under the cleanest conditions, using a scanning electron microscope to look at cells and minerals, and an atomic force microscope to examine cells at the atomic level.
He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice|Steve Nadis|July 20, 2020|Quanta Magazine

They also analyze what essential minerals the body is losing in that sweat.
Sweat tech alerts athletes when to rehydrate — and with what|Silke Schmidt|May 21, 2020|Science News For Students
Depending on the producer, Champagne can also be highly cloyingly sweet, buttery, or round, or mineral.
Champagne: You’re Drinking It All Wrong|Kayleigh Kulp|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For example, a common type of meteorite has similar mineral content to Earth, but a lot less deuterium.
Are Comets the Origin of Earth’s Oceans?|Matthew R. Francis|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One more word about the mineral water industry in Marlin, Texas, and I was about to scream.
Slaves In A Family's Past Haunt The Present|Michael Signer|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He enters a back room, sits at a round café table and sips from a bottle of mineral water.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the Bayou|John Ed Bradley|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mining and Mineral Engineering: 90% male And here are the 10 least remunerative majors—where women prevail in nine out of ten: 1.
No, Women Don’t Make Less Money Than Men|Christina Hoff Sommers|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The essential point in which it differs from any other known mineral consists in its being at once fibrous and textile.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
Certainly some of the uses to which this mineral is now being put are sufficiently astonishing.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
About 1830 a miner, returned from South America, made a claim for wages for watching mineral left behind by Mr. Trevithick.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
In these of the cereals it constitutes nearly half of their whole mineral components, and it rarely falls below 30 per cent.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson
In addition to these mineral substances, organic matters are also removed from solution.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for mineral (1 of 2)

mineral

/ (ˈmɪnərəl, ˈmɪnrəl) /