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selenite

[ sel-uh-nahyt, si-lee-nahyt ]

noun

  1. Mineralogy. a variety of gypsum, found in transparent crystals and foliated masses.
  2. Chemistry. a salt of selenious acid.


selenite

/ ˈsɛlɪˌnaɪt /

noun

  1. a colourless glassy variety of gypsum
“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


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Other Words From

  • sel·e·nit·ic [sel-, uh, -, nit, -ik], sele·niti·cal adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of selenite1

1560–70; < Latin selēnītēs < Greek selēnī́tēs líthos moonstone; Selene, -ite 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of selenite1

C17: via Latin from Greek selēnitēs lithos moonstone, from selēnē moon; so called because it was believed to wax and wane with the moon
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Example Sentences

The windows in the upper stories are made of flakes of selenite instead of glass.

Large crystals of selenite (sulphate of lime) occur in the Marls.

The selenite waxed and waned with the moon, and the meloceus, that discovers thieves, could be affected only by the blood of kids.

It is generally compact, forming a regular and conformable bed, with crystals of selenite (crystallized gypsum) in drusy cavities.

Clay, usually red, containing veins of white gypsum, and fine crystals of selenite.

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selenious acidselenium