pyrognostics

American

[pahy-ruhg-nos-tiks] / ˌpaɪ rəgˈnɒs tɪks /

plural noun

those properties of a mineral that it exhibits when heated, alone or with fluxes, in the blowpipe flame, as the fusibility, intumescence, or other phenomena of fusion, flame coloration, etc.

pyrognostics British

/ ˌpaɪrɒɡˈnɒstɪks /

plural noun

the characteristics of a mineral, such as fusibility and flame coloration, that are revealed by the application of heat

"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 pyrognostics

First recorded in 1840–50; pyro- + gnost(ic) + -ics

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