nepheline

American  

[nef-uh-lin] / ˈnɛf ə lɪn /

Also nephelite

noun

1. a feldspathoid mineral, essentially sodium aluminum silicate, NaAlSiO 4 , occurring in alkali-rich volcanic rocks.

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nepheline British  

/ ˈnɛfɪlɪn, ˈnɛfɪˌlaɪt, -ˌliːn /

noun

1. a whitish mineral consisting of sodium potassium aluminium silicate in hexagonal crystalline form: used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics. Formula: (Na,K)(AlSi) 2 O 4

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Etymology

Origin of nepheline

1805–15; < French néphéline, equivalent to néphél- (< Greek nephélē cloud) + -ine -ine ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nepheline

Scheerer on the identity of eleolite and nepheline, 253.

From COSMOS: A Sketch of the Physical Description of the Universe, Vol. 1 by Alexander von Humboldt

Vesuvian lava, glass paste with numerous crystals of leucite; others of augite and nepheline porphyritically developed; also small grains of magnetite.

From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Edward Hull

This substance may be imperfectly crystallized nepheline, or a peculiar glass which is rich in soda.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

The facial development of crystals of nepheline give no indication of this type of symmetry, and the mineral has been referred to this class solely on the evidence afforded by the etched figures.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

In like manner the lava of Scala, with which the city of Naples is paved, contains a close mixture of basalt, nepheline, and leucite.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 1 by Thomasina Ross