| mineral | | |
| n. (substance) | 1. mineral | solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition. |
| ~ material, stuff | the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object.; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread" |
| ~ ader wax, earth wax, mineral wax, ozocerite, ozokerite | a waxy mineral that is a mixture of hydrocarbons and occurs in association with petroleum; some varieties are used in making ceresin and candles. |
| ~ amblygonite | a white or grey mineral consisting of lithium aluminum phosphate; a source of lithium. |
| ~ amphibole | a mineral or mineral variety belonging to the amphibole group. |
| ~ amphibole group | a group of minerals with similar crystal structures containing a silicate chain and combinations of chiefly sodium and calcium and magnesium and iron and aluminum. |
| ~ apatite | a common complex mineral consisting of calcium fluoride phosphate or calcium chloride phosphate; a source of phosphorus. |
| ~ aragonite | a mineral form of crystalline calcium carbonate; dimorphic with calcite. |
| ~ argentite | a valuable silver ore consisting of silver sulfide (Ag2S). |
| ~ argyrodite | a rare steel-grey mineral consisting of silver and germanium and sulfur. |
| ~ arsenopyrite, mispickel | a silver-white or grey ore of arsenic. |
| ~ mineral pitch, asphalt | a dark bituminous substance found in natural beds and as residue from petroleum distillation; consists mainly of hydrocarbons. |
| ~ augite | dark-green to black glassy mineral of the pyroxene group containing large amounts of aluminum and iron and magnesium. |
| ~ baddeleyite | a mineral consisting of zirconium oxide. |
| ~ bastnaesite, bastnasite | a yellow-to-brown mineral that is a source of rare earth elements. |
| ~ bauxite | a clay-like mineral; the chief ore of aluminum; composed of aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides; used as an abrasive and catalyst. |
| ~ beryl | the chief source of beryllium; colored transparent varieties are valued as gems. |
| ~ borax | an ore of boron consisting of hydrated sodium borate; used as a flux or cleansing agent. |
| ~ bornite, peacock ore | a mineral consisting of sulfides of copper and iron that is found in copper deposits. |
| ~ carnallite | a white or reddish mineral consisting of hydrous chlorides of potassium and magnesium; used as a fertilizer and as a source of potassium and magnesium. |
| ~ cassiterite | a hard heavy dark mineral that is the chief source of tin. |
| ~ celestite | a mineral consisting of strontium sulphate. |
| ~ cerussite, white lead ore | a mineral consisting of lead carbonate that is an important source of lead. |
| ~ chalcocite, copper glance | a heavy grey mineral that is an ore of copper. |
| ~ chalcopyrite, copper pyrites | a yellow copper ore (CuFeS2) made up of copper and iron sulfide. |
| ~ chlorite | a generally green or black mineral; it occurs as a constituent of many rocks typically in the form of a flat crystal. |
| ~ chromite | a brownish-black mineral; the major source of chromium. |
| ~ chrysoberyl | a rare hard yellow green mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in crystal form; used as a gemstone. |
| ~ cinnabar | a heavy reddish mineral consisting of mercuric sulfide; the chief source of mercury. |
| ~ cobaltite | a rare silvery-white mineral; important ore of cobalt. |
| ~ halite, rock salt | naturally occurring crystalline sodium chloride. |
| ~ coltan, columbite-tantalite | a valuable black mineral combining niobite and tantalite; used in cell phones and computer chips. |
| ~ cordierite | a blue mineral of magnesium and iron and aluminum and silicon and oxygen; often used as a gemstone. |
| ~ corundom, corundum | very hard mineral used as an abrasive. |
| ~ cristobalite | a white mineral consisting of silica; found in volcanic rocks. |
| ~ crocolite | a rare lead chromite mineral that forms bright orange crystals. |
| ~ cryolite, greenland spar | a white mineral consisting of fluorides of aluminum and sodium; a source of fluorine. |
| ~ cuprite | a mineral consisting of cuprous oxide that is a source of copper. |
| ~ bitter spar, dolomite | a light colored mineral consisting of calcium magnesium carbonate; a source of magnesium; used as a ceramic and as fertilizer. |
| ~ earth color | a colored mineral used as a pigment. |
| ~ emery | a hard grey-black mineral consisting of corundum and either hematite or magnetite; used as an abrasive (especially as a coating on paper). |
| ~ cobalt bloom, erythrite | a reddish mineral consisting of hydrated cobalt arsenate in monoclinic crystalline form and used in coloring glass; usually found in veins bearing cobalt and arsenic. |
| ~ fergusonite | a dark mineral consisting of oxides of yttrium and erbium and tantalum and other minerals. |
| ~ fluor, fluorite, fluorspar | a soft mineral (calcium fluoride) that is fluorescent in ultraviolet light; chief source of fluorine. |
| ~ gadolinite, ytterbite | a mineral that is a source of rare earths; consists of silicates of iron and beryllium and cerium and yttrium and erbium. |
| ~ galena | soft blue-grey mineral; lead sulfide; a major source of lead. |
| ~ garnet | any of a group of hard glassy minerals (silicates of various metals) used as gemstones and as an abrasive. |
| ~ garnierite | a green mineral consisting of hydrated nickel magnesium silicate; a source of nickel. |
| ~ germanite | a rare reddish-grey mineral consisting of a copper iron germanium sulfide. |
| ~ gibbsite | white crystalline mineral consisting of aluminum hydroxide; a constituent of bauxite and a source of alumina. |
| ~ glauconite | a green mineral consisting of hydrated silicate of potassium or iron or magnesium or aluminum; found in greensand. |
| ~ cadmium sulphide, greenockite | ore of cadmium; a rare yellowish mineral consisting of cadmium sulphide in crystalline form. |
| ~ gypsum | a common white or colorless mineral (hydrated calcium sulphate) used to make cements and plasters (especially plaster of Paris). |
| ~ hausmannite | a mineral consisting of manganese tetroxide; a source of manganese. |
| ~ barite, barytes, heavy spar, barium sulphate | a white or colorless mineral (BaSO4); the main source of barium. |
| ~ calamine, hemimorphite | a white mineral; a common ore of zinc. |
| ~ ilmenite | a weakly magnetic black mineral found in metamorphic and plutonic rocks; an iron titanium oxide in crystalline form; a source of titanium. |
| ~ jadeite | a hard green mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade; found principally in Burma. |
| ~ kainite | a white mineral consisting of magnesium sulphate and potassium chloride; a source of potassium salts; used as a fertilizer. |
| ~ kaolinite | a mineral consisting of aluminum silicate; main source of kaolin. |
| ~ kernite | a light soft mineral consisting of hydrated sodium borate in crystalline form; an important source of boron. |
| ~ kieserite | a white mineral consisting of hydrous magnesium sulfate often found in salt mines. |
| ~ cyanite, kyanite | a grey or greenish-blue mineral consisting of aluminum silicate in crystalline form; occurs in metaphoric rock, used as a refractory. |
| ~ langbeinite | a mineral consisting of potassium magnesium double sulphate; used as a fertilizer. |
| ~ magnesite | a white mineral consisting of magnesium carbonate; a source of magnesium. |
| ~ malachite | a green or blue mineral used as an ore of copper and for making ornamental objects. |
| ~ maltha, mineral tar | a thick black tar intermediate between petroleum and asphalt. |
| ~ manganite | a black mineral consisting of basic manganese oxide; a source of manganese. |
| ~ meerschaum, sepiolite | a white clayey mineral. |
| ~ isinglass, mica | any of various minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into very thin leaves; used as dielectrics because of their resistance to electricity. |
| ~ millerite | a yellow mineral consisting of nickel sulfide; a minor source of nickel. |
| ~ molybdenite | a mineral resembling graphite that is valued as the chief source of molybdenum and its compounds. |
| ~ monazite | a reddish-brown mineral containing rare earth metals; an important source of thorium and cerium. |
| ~ nepheline, nephelite | a whitish mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate or potassium aluminum silicate in crystalline form; used in the manufacture of ceramics and enamels. |
| ~ nephelinite | an igneous rock consisting of nepheline and pyroxene. |
| ~ columbite, niobite | a black mineral that is an ore of niobium and tantalum. |
| ~ nitrocalcite | the mineral form of calcium nitrate. |
| ~ olivine | a mineral consisting of magnesium iron silicate; a source of magnesium. |
| ~ olivenite | rare green to black mineral consisting of hydrated copper arsenate that is found in copper deposits. |
| ~ opal | a translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color; some varieties are used as gemstones. |
| ~ ore | a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined. |
| ~ orpiment | a yellow mineral occurring in conjunction with realgar; an ore of arsenic. |
| ~ iridosmine, osmiridium | a hard and corrosion resistant mineral that is a natural alloy of osmium and iridium (usually containing small amounts of rhodium and platinum); used in needles and pen nibs etc.. |
| ~ pentlandite | a mineral (iron and nickel sulphide) that is the chief ore of nickel. |
| ~ magnesia, magnesium oxide, periclase | a white solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase; a source of magnesium. |
| ~ pinite | grey or green or brown mineral similar to mica and containing aluminum and potassium sulphates. |
| ~ pollucite | a rare mineral that is an important source of cesium. |
| ~ psilomelane | a mineral consisting of hydrated basic oxide of manganese and barium; a source of manganese. |
| ~ fool's gold, iron pyrite, pyrite | a common mineral (iron disulfide) that has a pale yellow color. |
| ~ pyrolusite | a mineral consisting of manganese dioxide; an important source of manganese. |
| ~ green lead ore, pyromorphite | a mineral consisting of lead chloride and phosphate; a minor source of lead. |
| ~ pyrophyllite | a white or greenish aluminum silicate mineral (resembles talc). |
| ~ pyroxene | any of a group of crystalline silicate mineral common in igneous and metamorphic rocks. |
| ~ magnetic pyrites, pyrrhotine, pyrrhotite | a brownish iron sulfide mineral (FeS) having weak magnetic properties. |
| ~ quartz | a hard glossy mineral consisting of silicon dioxide in crystal form; present in most rocks (especially sandstone and granite); yellow sand is quartz with iron oxide impurities. |
| ~ realgar | a rare soft orange mineral consisting of arsenic sulphide; an important ore of arsenic. |
| ~ red clay | clay whose redness results from iron oxide. |
| ~ rhodochrosite | a mineral consisting of manganese carbonate; a source of manganese. |
| ~ rhodonite | a pink or red mineral consisting of crystalline manganese silicate; used as an ornamental stone. |
| ~ rock, stone | material consisting of the aggregate of minerals like those making up the Earth's crust.; "that mountain is solid rock"; "stone is abundant in New England and there are many quarries" |
| ~ rutile | a mineral consisting of titanium dioxide in crystalline form; occurs in metamorphic and plutonic rocks and is a major source of titanium. |
| ~ samarskite | a complex black mineral occurring in pegmatites. |
| ~ sapphirine | a rare light blue or green mineral; consists of aluminum and magnesium silicate and occurs as small grains in some metamorphic rocks. |
| ~ scheelite | a mineral used as an ore of tungsten. |
| ~ smaltite | a grey mineral consisting of cobalt arsenide and nickel; an important source of cobalt and nickel. |
| ~ sodalite | a vitreous mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate and sodium chloride in crystalline form; occurs in igneous rocks. |
| ~ spar | any of various nonmetallic minerals (calcite or feldspar) that are light in color and transparent or translucent and cleavable. |
| ~ spinel | a hard glassy mineral consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum; occurs in various colors that are used as gemstones. |
| ~ spodumene | a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminum silicate; a source of lithium. |
| ~ stannite, tin pyrites | a dark grey mineral with a metallic luster that is a source of tin. |
| ~ stibnite | a soft grey mineral; the chief ore of antimony. |
| ~ strontianite | a mineral consisting of strontium carbonate. |
| ~ graphic tellurium, sylvanite | a silver-white mineral consisting of silver gold telluride; a source of gold in Australia and America. |
| ~ sylvine, sylvite | a mineral consisting of native potassium chloride; an important ore of potassium that is found in sedimentary beds. |
| ~ talc, talcum | a fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate; used in a variety of products including talcum powder. |
| ~ tantalite | a mineral consisting of tantalum oxide of iron and manganese that occurs with niobite or in coarse granite; an ore of tantalum. |
| ~ thorite | a radioactive mineral consisting of thorium silicate; it is a source of thorium that is found in coarse granite. |
| ~ thortveitite | a mineral consisting of scandium yttrium silicate; a source of scandium. |
| ~ topaz | a mineral (fluosilicate of aluminum) that occurs in crystals of various colors and is used as a gemstone. |
| ~ tourmaline | a mineral that is a complex borosilicate and hydroxide of aluminum containing iron and magnesium and calcium and lithium and sodium; it is usually black but occurs in transparent colored forms that are used as gemstones. |
| ~ tridymite | a mineral form of silica. |
| ~ turquoise | a blue to grey green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate.; "blue turquoise is valued as a gemstone" |
| ~ vanadinite | a mineral consisting of chloride and vanadate of lead; a source of vanadium. |
| ~ vermiculite | any of a group of yellow or brown hydrous silicate minerals having a micaceous structure. |
| ~ idocrase, vesuvian, vesuvianite | a green or yellow or brown mineral consisting of a hydrated silicate; it occurs as crystals in limestone and is used a gemstone. |
| ~ iron manganese tungsten, wolframite | a mineral consisting of iron and manganese tungstate in crystalline form; the principal ore of tungsten; found in quartz veins associated with granitic rocks. |
| ~ wollastonite | a white or greyish mineral typically found in metamorphic limestone; a silicate of calcium. |
| ~ wulfenite | a yellow to orange or brown mineral used as a molybdenum ore. |
| ~ wurtzite | a brownish-black mineral consisting of zinc sulfide. |
| ~ xenotime | a brown-to-yellow mineral that is a phosphate of yttrium in crystalline form. |
| ~ zeolite | any of a family of glassy minerals analogous to feldspar containing hydrated aluminum silicates of calcium or sodium or potassium; formed in cavities in lava flows and in plutonic rocks. |
| ~ blende, sphalerite, zinc blende | an ore that is the chief source of zinc; consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form. |
| ~ zinkenite | a steel grey metallic mineral (a sulphide of lead and antimony). |
| ~ zircon, zirconium silicate | a common mineral occurring in small crystals; chief source of zirconium; used as a refractory when opaque and as a gem when transparent. |
| adj. (pertain) | 2. mineral | relating to minerals.; "mineral elements"; "mineral deposits" |
| adj. | 3. mineral | composed of matter other than plant or animal.; "the inorganic mineral world" |
| ~ inorganic | lacking the properties characteristic of living organisms. |
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