zircon

[ zur-kon ]
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noun
  1. a common mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, occurring in small tetragonal crystals or grains of various colors, usually opaque: used as a refractory when opaque and as a gem when transparent.

Origin of zircon

1
First recorded in 1785–95; from German Zirkon, apparently ultimately from Italian giargone; see jargon2

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British Dictionary definitions for zircon

zircon

/ (ˈzɜːkɒn) /


noun
  1. a reddish-brown, grey, green, blue, or colourless hard mineral consisting of zirconium silicate in tetragonal crystalline form with hafnium and some rare earths as impurities. It occurs principally in igneous rocks and is an important source of zirconium, zirconia, and hafnia: it is used as a gemstone and a refractory. Formula: ZrSiO 4

Origin of zircon

1
C18: from German Zirkon, from French jargon, via Italian and Arabic, from Persian zargūn golden

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

Scientific definitions for zircon

zircon

[ zûrkŏn′ ]


  1. A brown, reddish to bluish, gray, green, or colorless tetragonal mineral that occurs in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, and especially in sand. The colorless varieties are valued as gems. Chemical formula: ZrSiO4.

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