olivine
Americannoun
noun
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Also called: chrysolite. an olive-green mineral of the olivine group, found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. The clear-green variety (peridot) is used as a gemstone. Composition: magnesium iron silicate. Formula: (MgFe) 2 SiO 4 . Crystal structure: orthorhombic
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any mineral in the group having the general formula (Mg,Fe,Mn,Ca) 2 SiO 4
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An olive-green to brownish-green orthorhombic mineral. Olivine is a common mineral in the igneous rocks, such as basalt and gabbro, that make up most of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe) 2 SiO 4 .
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◆ Olivine in which the mafic component consists entirely of magnesium is called forsterite. Chemical formula: Mg 2 SiO 4 .
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◆ Olivine in which the mafic component consists entirely of iron is called fayalite. Chemical formula: Fe 2 SiO 4 .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of olivine
1785–95; < German Olivin, equivalent to Olive olive + -in -ine 2
Vocabulary lists containing olivine
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.
And when Olivine took out photographs of her family, Lavinia didn't see herself in their faces.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Michelle and Lavinia met up with a woman called Olivine, who Michelle believed was a new first cousin to both her and her twin.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
Olivine crystals: Greenish mineral grains commonly found in Earth's mantle and volcanic rocks; they can preserve ancient geochemical clues.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025
Olivine is a mafic mineral at the top of the Bowen’s Reaction series with a high melting point and a smaller percentage of silica versus other common igneous minerals.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017
Olivine is often present; and when abundant the rock is called "olivine-basalt."
From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Hull, Edward
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
