am·phi·bole
(ăm′fə-bōl′)n. Any of a large group of structurally similar silicate minerals, such as hornblende, that have a crystalline structure consisting of a double chain of linked SiO4 units and that contain various combinations of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum. Several varieties of asbestos are fibrous forms of amphiboles.
[French, from Late Latin
amphibolus,
ambiguous, from Greek
amphibolos,
doubtful, from
amphiballein,
to throw on either side :
amphi-,
amphi- +
ballein,
to throw; see
gwelə- in
Indo-European roots.]
am′phi·bol′ic (-bŏl′ĭk) adj.
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.
amphibole
(ˈæmfɪˌbəʊl) n (Minerals) any of a large group of minerals consisting of the silicates of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, and aluminium, usually in the form of long slender dark-coloured crystals. Members of the group, including hornblende, actinolite, and tremolite, are common constituents of igneous rocks
[C17: from French, from Greek amphibolos uncertain; so called from the large number of varieties in the group]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
am•phi•bole
(ˈæm fəˌboʊl)
n. any of a complex group of hydrous silicate minerals, containing chiefly calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and aluminum, and including hornblende, tremolite, asbestos, etc., occurring as important constituents of many rocks.
[1600–10; < French < Late Latin
amphibolus < Greek
amphíbolos thrown on both sides, ambiguous =
amphi- amphi- +
-bolos, derivative of
bállein to throw]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
am·phi·bole
(ăm′fə-bōl′) Any of a large group of minerals composed of a silicate joined to various metals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, or sodium. Hornblende is a mineral of the amphibole group.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amphibole
Any of a group of rock-forming ferromagnesian silicates.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited