smithsonite

[ smith-suh-nahyt ]

/ ˈsmɪθ səˌnaɪt /

noun Mineralogy.

a native carbonate of zinc, ZnCO3, that is an important ore of the metal.

Nearby words

Origin of smithsonite

1825–35; named after J. Smithson (who distinguished it from calamine); see -ite¹

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

Examples from the Web for smithsonite

Smithsonite is a carbonate much resembling, and often found with, calamine.
The A B C of Mining|Charles A. Bramble
Zinc occurs in nature most commonly as sulphide (blende); it also occurs as carbonate (calamine) and silicate (smithsonite).
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines.|Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer

British Dictionary definitions for smithsonite

smithsonite

/ (ˈsmɪθsəˌnaɪt) /

noun

a white mineral consisting of zinc carbonate in hexagonal crystalline form: occurs chiefly in dry limestone regions and is a source of zinc. Formula: ZnCO 3Also called (US): calamine

Word Origin for smithsonite

C19: named after James Smithson

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