sphene

[sfeen]

noun

1. a mineral, calcium titanium silicate, CaTiSiO 5 , occurring as an accessory mineral in a variety of crystalline rocks, usually in small wedge-shaped crystals.

sphene

/ sfiːn /

noun

1. Also called: titanite. 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 5

sphene

1. 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: CaTiSiO ₅.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sphene¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sphene¹

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

Example Sentences

The purer beds recrystallize as marbles, but where there has been originally an admixture of sand or clay lime-bearing silicates are formed, such as diopside, epidote, garnet, sphene, vesuvianite, scapolite; with these phlogopite, various felspars, pyrites, quartz and actinolite often occur.

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Sphene, biotite and iron oxides are the other common constituents, but these rocks show much variety of composition and structure.

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Tī′tanite, or Sphene, a soft greenish mineral often present in syenite.

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Lig′urite, a variety of sphene or titanite.

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Among other minerals found in them are biotite and chlorite, tourmaline, epidote, apatite, garnet, hornblende and augite, sphene, pyrites.

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