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sphalerite

[ sfal-uh-rahyt, sfey-luh- ]

noun

  1. a very common mineral, zinc sulfide, ZnS, usually containing some iron and a little cadmium, occurring in yellow, brown, or black crystals or cleavable masses with resinous luster: the principal ore of zinc and cadmium; blackjack.


sphalerite

/ ˈsfeɪlə-; ˈsfæləˌraɪt /

noun

  1. a yellow to brownish-black mineral consisting of zinc sulphide in cubic crystalline form with varying amounts of iron, manganese, cadmium, gallium, and indium: the chief source of zinc. Formula: ZnS Also calledzinc blende
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sphalerite

/ sfălə-rīt′ /

  1. A usually yellow-brown or brownish-black cubic mineral occurring either as single dodecahedral crystals or as granular masses. It often contains cadmium, arsenic, or manganese and has a distinct rotten egg odor. It is often found in association with the mineral galena and is the primary ore of zinc. Chemical formula: ZnS .
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sphalerite1

1865–70; < Greek sphaler ( ós ) slippery, deceptive + -ite 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sphalerite1

C19: from Greek sphaleros deceitful, from sphallein to cause to stumble
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Example Sentences

A name given by English miners to sphalerite, or zinc blende; Ð called also false galena.

The minerals containing lead are principally galenite or lead sulphate, cerussite or lead carbonate; while the zinc is contained in the minerals, sphalerite or zinc sulphide, calamine or zinc silicate, smithsonite or zinc carbonate, etc.

The most important mineral of zinc is the sulphide, sphalerite or "zinc blende."

This substance occurs as the mineral sphalerite, and is one of the most valued ores of zinc.

Tin comes from the ore cassiterite; zinc from sphalerite and zincblende, or blackjack.

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sphaireeS phase