wurtzite

[ wurt-sahyt ]

noun

, Mineralogy.

1. a dimorph of sphalerite, zinc sulfide, ZnS, similar in structure to greenockite and brownish-black in color.

Other Words From

• wurtz·it·ic [wert-, sit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wurtzite¹

1865–70; < French, named after Charles Wurtz (1817–84), French chemist; -ite ¹

Example Sentences

The substance is usually optically isotropic, though sometimes it exhibits anomalous double refraction; fibrous zinc sulphide which is doubly refracting is to be referred to the hexagonal species wurtzite.

From Project Gutenberg