nephrite

[ nef-rahyt ]

/ ˈnɛf raɪt /

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noun

Mineralogy. a compact or fibrous variety of actinolite, varying from whitish to dark green: a form of jade.

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Origin of nephrite

From the German word Nephrit, dating back to 1785–95. See nephr-, -ite¹

Words nearby nephrite

nephrectomize, nephrectomy, nephrelcosis, nephric, nephridium, nephrite, nephritic, nephritic syndrome, nephritis, nephritogenic, nephro-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nephrite in a sentence

Beside the commoner minerals five to eight per cent of implements made of nephritoids (nephrite, jadeite, and chloromelanite).
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
It is a kind of nephrite or jade, a mineral which usually occurs in talcose or magnesian rocks.
Roman Mosaics|Hugh Macmillan
Spleen′ishness, the state of being spleenish; Spleen′-stone, jade or nephrite; Spleen′wort, any fern of the genus Asplenium.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
This celt is of a mottled green "marble resembling onyx" (probably serpentine or nephrite) 400 mm.
The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley|Harlan Ingersoll Smith

Objects made of nephrite and whale's bone are lacking in the Yakima Valley.
The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley|Harlan Ingersoll Smith

British Dictionary definitions for nephrite

nephrite

/ (ˈnɛfraɪt) /

noun

a tough fibrous amphibole mineral: a variety of jade consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. Formula: Ca 2 Mg 5 Si 8 O 22 (OH) 2Also called: kidney stone

Word Origin for nephrite

C18: via German Nephrit from Greek nephrós kidney, so called because it was thought to be beneficial in kidney disorders

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 nephrite

nephrite

[ nĕf′rīt′ ]

A green to blue variety of jade. Nephrite is an amphibole and is the least precious form of jade. Chemical formula: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2.