spod·u·mene
(spŏj′ə-mēn′)n. A greenish to pinkish or lilac mineral, LiAlSi2O6, that is used as a source of lithium and in transparent varieties as a gemstone.
[French spodumène, from German Spodumen, from Greek spodoumenos, present participle of spodousthai, to be burned to ashes, from spodos, wood ashes (because the mineral becomes ash gray when exposed to air).]
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.
spodumene
(ˈspɒdjʊˌmiːn) n (Minerals) a greyish-white, green, or lilac pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. It is an important ore of lithium and is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics and as a gemstone. Formula: LiAlSi2O6
[C19: from French spodumène, from German Spodumen, from Greek spodoumenos, from spodousthai to be burnt to ashes, from spodos wood ash]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
spod•u•mene
(ˈspɒdʒ ʊˌmin)
n. a mineral, lithium aluminum silicate, LiAlSi2O6, occurring in prismatic crystals or masses: transparent colored varieties are used as gems.
[1795–1805; < French spodumène]
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