sphene

[ sfeen ]

/ sfin /

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noun

a mineral, calcium titanium silicate, CaTiSiO5, occurring as an accessory mineral in a variety of crystalline rocks, usually in small wedge-shaped crystals.

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Also called titanite.

Origin of sphene

First recorded in 1805–15, sphene is from the Greek word sphḗn wedge

Words nearby sphene

sphairee, sphalerite, S phase, sphecid, sphen-, sphene, sphenic, spheno-, sphenodon, sphenogram, sphenography

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

How to use sphene in a sentence

The iron oxides, originally ilmenite, are usually altered to sphene.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
These rocks contain also iron oxides (usually titaniferous), apatite, sometimes sphene, augite and olivine.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various
Most gem-stones are harder than quartz, though precious opal, turquoise, moonstone and sphene are inferior to it in hardness.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
Reddish grains of sphene or of garnet are occasionally visible.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3|Various

The rarer stones, sphene and epidote, likewise exhibit this property markedly.
A Text-Book of Precious Stones for Jewelers and the Gem-Loving Public|Frank Bertram Wade

British Dictionary definitions for sphene

sphene

/ (sfiːn) /

noun

a brown, yellow, green, or grey lustrous mineral consisting of calcium titanium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. It occurs in metamorphic and acid igneous rocks and is used as a gemstone. Formula: CaTiSiO 5Also called: titanite

Word Origin for sphene

C19: from French sphène, from Greek sphēn a wedge, alluding to its crystals

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

Scientific definitions for sphene

sphene

[ sfēn ]

A brown or yellow monoclinic mineral occurring as an accessory mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks. It usually occurs as wedge or lozenge-shaped crystals. Chemical formula: CaTiSiO5.