polybasite

American

[pol-ee-bey-sahyt, puh-lib-uh-sahyt] / ˌpɒl iˈbeɪ saɪt, pəˈlɪb əˌsaɪt /

noun

a blackish mineral, Ag 9 SbS 6 : a minor ore of silver.

polybasite British

/ ˌpɒlɪˈbeɪsaɪt, pəˈlɪbəˌsaɪt /

noun

a grey to black mineral consisting of a sulphide of silver, antimony, and copper in the form of platelike monoclinic crystals. It occurs in veins of silver ore. Formula: (Ag,Cu) 16 Sb 2 S 11

"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

Etymology

Origin of polybasite

From the German word Polybasit, dating back to 1820–30. See poly-, base ¹, -ite ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023