pitchblende

American  

[pich-blend] / ˈpɪtʃˌblɛnd /

noun

Mineralogy.

1. a massive variety of uraninite, occurring in black pitchlike masses: a major ore of uranium and radium.

---

pitchblende British  

/ ˈpɪtʃˌblɛnd /

noun

1. a blackish mineral that is a type of uraninite and occurs in veins, frequently associated with silver: the principal source of uranium and radium. Formula: UO 2

---

pitchblende Scientific  

/ pĭch′blĕnd′ /

1. A brown to black, often crusty, cubic mineral that is a principal ore of uranium. It is highly radioactive. Chemical formula: UO ₂ .

---

Etymology

Origin of pitchblende

1760–70; half translation, half adoption of German Pechblende. See pitch ², blende

Example Sentences

The elements were found in a mineral called pitchblende that released a powerful form of energy.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

That was true of the off-Broadway musical Viet Rock, and it is even truer of We Bombed In New Haven, a first play by Joseph Heller, whose Catch-22 was a novel of comic pitchblende.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Most important mineral discovery in many years," noted Hugh S. Spence of the Canadian Department of Mines, are two veins of pitchblende at Great Bear Lake, Canada.

From Time Magazine Archive

He didn't get it; the big bonus is offered only to those who find a deposit of high-grade ore, such as pitchblende.

From Time Magazine Archive

Rutherford was there to talk about his new disintegration theory of radioactivity, as part of which he brought out his piece of pitchblende.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson