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.

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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

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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 .

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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

At that time, pitchblende was famed as a source of radium.

From Time Magazine Archive

Recent exploitation of pitchblende, oil shale and phosphate rock deposits are expected to reduce our reliance on Canada and the Belgian Congo for: 1.

From Time Magazine Archive

A two-inch seam of uranium-bearing pitchblende stood out on the shoreline rock.

From Time Magazine Archive

He tested a piece of pitchblende, the principal ore of uranium, and found it to be 700 million years old–very much older than the age most people were prepared to grant the Earth.

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