vesuvianite

American

[vuh-soo-vee-uh-nahyt] / vəˈsu vi əˌnaɪt /

noun

a mineral, chiefly a hydrous silicate of calcium and aluminum, commonly in tetragonal crystals and usually of a brown to green color; idocrase.

vesuvianite British

/ vɪˈsuːvɪəˌnaɪt /

noun

Also called: idocrase. vesuvian. a green, brown, or yellow mineral consisting of a hydrated silicate of calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminium: it occurs as tetragonal crystals in limestones and is used as a gemstone. Formula: Ca 10 (Mg,Fe) 2 Al 4 Si 9 O 34 (OH) 4

"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

Etymology

Origin of vesuvianite

First recorded in 1885–90; Vesuvian + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

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Also some tetragonal and hexagonal crystals, e.g. apophyllite, vesuvianite, beryl, &c., which should normally be optically uniaxial, sometimes consist of several biaxial portions arranged in sectors or in a quite irregular manner.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023