pyrolusite

[ pahy-ruh-loo-sahyt, pahy-rol-yuh-sahyt ]

/ ˌpaɪ rəˈlu saɪt, paɪˈrɒl yəˌsaɪt /

noun

a common mineral, manganese dioxide, MnO2, the principal ore of manganese, used in various manufactures, as a decolorizer of brown or green tints in glass, and as a depolarizer in dry-cell batteries.

Nearby words

pyrokinesis, pyroligneous, pyroligneous acid, pyroligneous alcohol, pyrolize, pyrolusite, pyrolyse, pyrolysis, pyromagnetic, pyromancy, pyromania

Origin of pyrolusite

1820–30; pyro- + Greek loûs(is) washing + -ite¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pyrolusite

Heated in an ignition tube yields water in abundance, otherwise it behaves like pyrolusite.
The Elements of Blowpipe Analysis|Frederick Hutton Getman
Its dioxide (pyrolusite) has been known from very early times, and was at first mistaken for a magnetic oxide of iron.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 5|Various
As an ore of manganese it is much less abundant than pyrolusite or psilomelane.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 5|Various
Binoxide of manganese (Molecule, Mn.O2), is found native as pyrolusite or polyanite.
British Manufacturing Industries|L. Arnoux

How does pyrolusite effect the decolorizing of glass containing iron?
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson

British Dictionary definitions for pyrolusite

pyrolusite

/ (ˌpaɪrəʊˈluːsaɪt) /

noun

a blackish fibrous or soft powdery mineral consisting of manganese dioxide in tetragonal crystalline form. It occurs in association with other manganese ores and is an important source of manganese. Formula: MnO 2

Word Origin for pyrolusite

C19: from pyro- + Greek lousis a washing + -ite 1, from its use in purifying glass

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