azurite

American  

[azh-uh-rahyt] / ˈæʒ əˌraɪt /

noun

1. a blue mineral, a hydrous copper carbonate, Cu 3 (CO3 ) 2 (OH) 2 : an ore of copper.

2. a gem of moderate value cut from this mineral.

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azurite British  

/ ˈæʒʊˌraɪt /

noun

1. an azure-blue mineral associated with copper deposits. It is a source of copper. Composition: copper carbonate. Formula: Cu 3 (CO 3 ) 2 (OH) 2 . Crystal structure: monoclinic

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azurite Scientific  

/ ăzh′ə-rīt′ /

1. A dark-blue monoclinic mineral occurring as a mass of crystals (an aggregate) or in the form of blades with wedge-shaped tips. It is often found together with the mineral malachite in copper deposits. Azurite is used as a source of copper, as a gemstone, and as a dye for paints and fabrics. Chemical formula: Cu ₃ (CO ₃ ) ₂ (OH) ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of azurite

First recorded in 1810–20; azure + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

I imagined a vitrine of the pigments used to achieve those “Gainsborough blues”—indigo, Prussian blue, ultramarine, azurite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

After applying a variety of advanced scientific techniques, the team determined that the residue came from azurite, a bright blue mineral pigment that has not previously been documented in Paleolithic art in Europe.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025

“When a painter wanted white pigment, they crushed a white shell or azurite for blue or malachite for green.”

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2023

A lion that once stood guard over a tomb in Corinth, in the sixth century B.C., has an azurite mane and an ochre body, calling to mind Mayan or Aztec artifacts.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 22, 2018

It is a constituent of the minerals cerussite, malachite, azurite, spathic iron ore, calamine, strontianite, witherite, calcite aragonite, limestone, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various