rutile

[ roo-teel, -tahyl ]

noun

1. a common mineral, titanium dioxide, TiO 2 , usually reddish-brown in color with a brilliant metallic or adamantine luster, occurring in crystals: used to coat welding rods.

rutile

/ ˈruːtaɪl /

noun

1. a black, yellowish, or reddish-brown mineral, found in igneous rocks, metamorphosed limestones, and quartz veins. It is a source of titanium. Composition: titanium dioxide. Formula: TiO 2 . Crystal structure: tetragonal

rutile

/ ro̅o̅′tēl′,-tīl′ /

1. A lustrous red, reddish-brown, or black tetragonal mineral that is an ore of titanium. Rutile usually occurs as prismatic crystals in other minerals, especially as dark needlelike crystals in quartz. Chemical formula: TiO 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of rutile¹

1795–1805; < French < German Rutil < Latin rutilus red ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rutile¹

C19: via French from German Rutil , from Latin rutilus red, glowing

Example Sentences

Australia is the world’s top producer of lithium and rutile and the second-largest producer of zircon and rare earth elements.

From Seattle Times

Rio Tinto's South African subsidiary Richards Bay Minerals extracts and refines heavy mineral sands and produces ilmenite, rutile, and zircon at its site in northern KwaZulu-Natal province.

From Reuters

Pyrope and almandine garnets can contain spiky inclusions of the minerals rutile or chrysotile, but they are normally more evenly distributed, and they do not curve or reach the crystal’s surface.

From Scientific American

Prices of the mineral sand rutile have fallen more than two-thirds from their peak in 2012, amid a slowdown in the pace of demand from traditional users.

From Wall Street Journal

Sierra Leone has abundant natural resources including iron ore, diamonds, gold, bauxite and the titanium ore rutile.

From Reuters