siderite

American  

[sid-uh-rahyt] / ˈsɪd əˌraɪt /

noun

1. Also called chalybite.  a common mineral, iron carbonate, FeCO 3 , usually occurring in yellowish to deep-brown cleavable masses: a minor ore of iron.

2. a meteorite consisting almost entirely of metallic minerals.

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siderite British  

/ ˌsaɪdəˈrɪtɪk, ˈsaɪdəˌraɪt /

noun

1. Also called: chalybite.  a pale yellow to brownish-black mineral consisting chiefly of iron carbonate in hexagonal crystalline form. It occurs mainly in ore veins and sedimentary rocks and is an important source of iron. Formula: FeCO 3

2. a meteorite consisting principally of metallic iron

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Other Word Forms

• sideritic adjective

Etymology

Origin of siderite

1570–80, in sense “loadstone”; 1845–50 siderite for def. 1; sider- + -ite ¹; in obsolete sense, variant of siderites < Latin sidērītēs < Greek sidērī́tēs loadstone