selenite

[ sel-uh-nahyt, si-lee-nahyt ]

noun

Mineralogy. a variety of gypsum, found in transparent crystals and foliated masses.
Chemistry. a salt of selenious acid.

Origin of selenite

1560–70; <Latin selēnītēs<Greek selēnī́tēs líthos moonstone; see Selene, -ite¹

Other words from selenite

sel·e·nit·ic [sel-uh-nit-ik], /ˌsɛl əˈnɪt ɪk/, sel·e·nit·i·cal, adjective

Words Nearby selenite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use selenite in a sentence

The windows in the upper stories are made of flakes of selenite instead of glass.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1 | Hubert Howe Bancroft
Large crystals of selenite (sulphate of lime) occur in the Marls.
The Geological Story of the Isle of Wight | J. Cecil Hughes
The selenite waxed and waned with the moon, and the meloceus, that discovers thieves, could be affected only by the blood of kids.
The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde
It is generally compact, forming a regular and conformable bed, with crystals of selenite (crystallized gypsum) in drusy cavities.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure
Clay, usually red, containing veins of white gypsum, and fine crystals of selenite.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines | Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for selenite

selenite

/ (ˈsɛlɪˌnaɪt) /

noun

a colourless glassy variety of gypsum

Origin of selenite

C17: via Latin from Greek selēnitēs lithos moonstone, from selēnē moon; so called because it was believed to wax and wane with the moon

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

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