nephrite

[ nef-rahyt ]

/ ˈnɛf raɪt /

noun

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

Words nearby nephrite

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

Origin of nephrite

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for nephrite

The principal jades belong, however, to one or the other of two species, jadeite and nephrite.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public|Frank Bertram Wade
Objects made of nephrite and whale's bone are lacking in the Yakima Valley.
The Archaeology of the Yakima Valley|Harlan Ingersoll Smith
Jade of the jadeite variety, which is harder than nephrite and more highly valued, is rare.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public|Frank Bertram Wade
Jadeite is a sodium aluminum silicate and nephrite, a calcium magnesium silicate.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public|Frank Bertram Wade

Nephrite is said to have been discovered in 1891 in the Nan-shan mountains in the Chinese province of Kan-suh, where it is worked.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 2|Various

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.