marcasite

American  

[mahr-kuh-sahyt] / ˈmɑr kəˌsaɪt /

noun

1. Also called white iron pyrites.  a common mineral, iron disulfide, FeS 2 , chemically similar to pyrite but crystallizing in the orthorhombic system.

2. any of the crystallized forms of iron pyrites, much used in the 18th century for ornaments.

3. a specimen or ornament of this substance.

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marcasite British  

/ ˈmɑːkəˌsaɪt, ˌmɑːkəˈsɪtɪkəl /

noun

1. a metallic pale yellow mineral consisting of iron sulphide in orthorhombic crystalline form used in jewellery. Formula: FeS 2

2. a cut and polished form of steel or any white metal used for making jewellery

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marcasite Scientific  

/ mär′kə-sīt′,-zīt′ /

1. A light yellow to gray, metallic, orthorhombic mineral. Marcasite is a polymorph of pyrite and looks similar to it but has a lower specific gravity, is paler in color, and often has a radiating fibrous structure. Chemical formula: FeS ₂ .

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Other Word Forms

• marcasitical
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of marcasite

1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin marcasīta < Arabic marqashīṭā < Aramaic marqəshītā

Example Sentences

In 1918 his collection included a lizard bag with marcasite and a buckle of lapis lazuli.

From New York Times • May 27, 2013

Nor has the neighborhood been transformed — gentrification hasn’t yet displaced the vendors of bootleg perfume, gray-market cellphones and marcasite jewelry.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2011

Instead, we wore massive silver rings with brightly colored jewels and plenty of marcasite.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

These are set sometimes with topaz or moonstone, garnet, marcasite, heliotropium, or paste jewels.

From Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Earle, Alice Morse

Some concretions are amorphous, e.g. phosphatic nodules; others are cryptocrystalline, e.g. flint and chert; others finely crystalline, e.g. pyrites, sphaerosiderite; others consist of large crystals, e.g. gypsum, barytes, pyrites and marcasite.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various