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montmorillonite

American  
[mont-muh-ril-uh-nahyt] / ˌmɒnt məˈrɪl əˌnaɪt /

noun

  1. any of a group of clay minerals characterized by the ability to expand when they absorb large quantities of water.


montmorillonite British  
/ ˌmɒntməˈrɪləˌnaɪt /

noun

  1. a clay mineral consisting of hydrated aluminium silicate: an important component of bentonite

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of montmorillonite

1850–55; named after Montmorillon, France, where it was found; see -ite 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Layers of clay — bentonite and montmorillonite, to be specific — are found beneath the ground, interspersed between layers of bedrock.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2023

El Hachemi Bouali, assistant professor of geosciences at Nevada State College, said it all comes down to clay — bentonite and montmorillonite, to be specific.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 6, 2023

In another location, Opportunity sees an aluminium-rich variety called montmorillonite.

From BBC Jan. 24, 2014

Esperance is the most clay-laden rock seen by Opportunity in its nine and a half years on Mars The clays are aluminium-rich, possibly of the type montmorillonite.

From BBC Jun. 10, 2013

In addition, we know that montmorillonite clays are a potent catalyst for combining amino acids into longer chain molecules resembling proteins.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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