monazite

[mon-uh-zahyt]

noun

a reddish- or yellowish-brown mineral, a phosphate of cerium and lanthanum, (Ce,La)PO4: the principal ore of thorium.

Origin of monazite

1830–40; < German Monazit, equivalent to monaz- (< Greek monázein to be alone; see mon-) + -it -ite¹

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British Dictionary definitions for monazite

monazite

noun

a yellow to reddish-brown mineral consisting of a phosphate of thorium, cerium, and lanthanum in monoclinic crystalline form

Word Origin for monazite

C19: from German, from Greek monazein to live alone, so called because of its rarity

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

monazite in Science

monazite

[mŏn′ə-zīt′]

A yellow or reddish-brown monoclinic mineral that is a principal ore of several lanthanide (rare-earth) elements. It occurs as tabular crystals in pegmatites, granites, and metamorphic rocks, as well as in sand. Chemical formula: (Ce, La, Nd, Th)PO4.