mineral

¹

[ min-er-uhl, min-ruhl ]

noun

1. any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually comprising inorganic substances, as quartz or feldspar, of definite chemical composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural products of organic origin, as asphalt or coal.
2. a substance obtained by mining, as ore.
3. (loosely) any substance that is neither animal nor vegetable.
4. minerals, British. mineral water.
5. Nutrition. any of the inorganic elements, as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, or sodium, that are essential to the functioning of the human body and are obtained from foods.

adjective

1. of the nature of a mineral; pertaining to a mineral or minerals.
2. containing or impregnated with a mineral or minerals.
3. neither animal nor vegetable; inorganic:

   mineral matter.

mineral.

²

abbreviation for

1. mineralogical.
2. mineralogy.

mineral

¹

/ ˈmɪnrəl; ˈmɪnərəl /

noun

1. any of a class of naturally occurring solid inorganic substances with a characteristic crystalline form and a homogeneous chemical composition
2. any inorganic matter
3. any substance obtained by mining, esp a metal ore
4. See mineral water
   often plural short for mineral water
5. a soft drink containing carbonated water and flavourings Usual US wordsoda

adjective

1. of, relating to, containing, or resembling minerals

mineral.

²

abbreviation for

1. mineralogy or mineralogical

mineral

/ mĭn′ər-əl /

1. A naturally occurring, solid, inorganic element or compound having a uniform composition and a regularly repeating internal structure. Minerals typically have a characteristic hardness and color, or range of colors, by which they can be recognized. Rocks are made up of minerals.
2. A natural substance of commercial value, such as iron ore, coal, or petroleum, that is obtained by mining, quarrying, or drilling.

mineral

1. In geology , a naturally occurring inorganic substance ( see inorganic molecules ) with a definite chemical composition and a regular internal structure.

Notes

Rocks are aggregates of minerals.

Most minerals are crystals , like salt and diamonds.

Other Words From

• non·miner·al noun adjective
• semi·miner·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mineral¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, Old French mineral, from Medieval Latin minerāle (noun), minerālis (adjective), from miner(a) “mine, ore,” (from Vulgar Latin mināria (unrecorded); equivalent to mine ² + -ary ) + -āle, -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mineral¹

C15: from Medieval Latin minerāle (n), from minerālis (adj); related to minera mine, ore, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Clay-like minerals often associated with organic matter on Earth have been found on Europa, raising even more hopes that we might be able to detect ongoing biological activity on the Jovian moon.

From MIT Technology Review

That suggested the material was biological, not made solely of minerals.

From Science News For Students

SuperCam will shoot rocks with a laser from more than seven meters away, vaporizing a tiny bit of the minerals.

From Science News

We took it to the lab and examined it under the cleanest conditions, using a scanning electron microscope to look at cells and minerals, and an atomic force microscope to examine cells at the atomic level.

From Quanta Magazine

They also analyze what essential minerals the body is losing in that sweat.

From Science News For Students

Depending on the producer, Champagne can also be highly cloyingly sweet, buttery, or round, or mineral.

From The Daily Beast

For example, a common type of meteorite has similar mineral content to Earth, but a lot less deuterium.

From The Daily Beast

One more word about the mineral water industry in Marlin, Texas, and I was about to scream.

From The Daily Beast

He enters a back room, sits at a round café table and sips from a bottle of mineral water.

From The Daily Beast

Mining and Mineral Engineering: 90% male And here are the 10 least remunerative majors—where women prevail in nine out of ten: 1.

From The Daily Beast

The essential point in which it differs from any other known mineral consists in its being at once fibrous and textile.

From Project Gutenberg

Certainly some of the uses to which this mineral is now being put are sufficiently astonishing.

From Project Gutenberg

About 1830 a miner, returned from South America, made a claim for wages for watching mineral left behind by Mr. Trevithick.

From Project Gutenberg

In these of the cereals it constitutes nearly half of their whole mineral components, and it rarely falls below 30 per cent.

From Project Gutenberg

In addition to these mineral substances, organic matters are also removed from solution.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• golden
• silvery