phen·a·cite

(fĕn′ə-sīt′) or phen·a·kite (-kīt′)

A natural beryllium silicate, Be₂SiO₄, occurring as vitreous crystals sometimes used as gems.

[Greek phenāx, phenāk-, impostor + -ite.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

phenacite

(ˈfɛnəˌsaɪt) or

phenakite

(Minerals) a colourless or white glassy mineral consisting of beryllium silicate in hexagonal crystalline form: occurs in veins in granite. Formula: Be2SiO4

[C19: from Greek phenax a cheat, because of its deceptive resemblance to quartz]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Mentioned in

mineral

References in periodicals archive

Foster occurs in miarolitic cavities containing gem-quality fluorite, microcline, phenacite ([Be.sub.2]Si[O.sub.4]), smoky quartz, and topaz.

Emerald and aquamarine mineralization in Canada

Incidentally, in the copy of British Mineralogy formerly in the library of Richard Hauck, penciled to the right of the printed words White Tourmaline are "Phenacite" and the initials "AR" which identify Sir Arthur Edward Ian Montagu Russell (1878-1964), a mineral collector extraordinary from Great Britain.

James Sowerby, his publications and collections

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