tetrahedrite

[ te-truh-hee-drahyt ]

noun

1. a steel-gray or blackish mineral with a brilliant metallic luster, essentially copper and antimony sulfide, (Cu, Fe, Zn, Ag,) 12 Sb 4 S 13 , an end member of a series of solid solutions into which arsenic enters to form tennantite: mined as an ore of copper and silver.

tetrahedrite

/ ˌtɛtrəˈhiːdraɪt /

noun

1. a grey metallic mineral consisting of a sulphide of copper, iron, and antimony, often in the form of tetrahedral crystals: it is a source of copper. Formula: (Cu,Fe) 12 Sb 4 S 13

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrahedrite¹

1865–70; tetrahedr(on) + -ite ¹, modeled on German Tetraedrit

Example Sentences

In external form these crystals are cubic with inclined hemihedrism, the symmetry being the same as in blende and tetrahedrite.

From Project Gutenberg

Tetrahedrite, blende, diamond, boracite and pharmacosiderite are substances which crystallize in this class.

From Project Gutenberg