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tremolite

[trem-uh-lahyt]
noun Mineralogy.
  1. a white or grayish variety of amphibole, Ca2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2, usually occurring in bladed crystals.
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Origin of tremolite

1790–1800; named after Tremola, valley in Switzerland; see -ite1
Related formstrem·o·lit·ic [trem-uh-lit-ik] /ˈtrɛm əˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tremolite

Historical Examples

  • The true asbestos, however, he says, is a fibrous variety of tremolite or hornblende.

    Asbestos

    Robert H. Jones

  • The tremolite occurs in white crystals, about a quarter inch in width and from a half to three inches in length.

  • Tremolite is a white to light gray silicate of lime and magnesia found especially in metamorphic limestones.

    Geology

    William J. Miller

British Dictionary definitions for tremolite

tremolite

noun
  1. a white or pale green mineral of the amphibole group consisting of calcium magnesium silicate. When occurring in fibrous habit, it is used as a form of asbestos. Formula: Ca 2 (Mg,Fe) 5 Si 8 O 22 (OH) 2
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Word Origin

C18: from Tremola, name of Swiss valley where it was found + -ite
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