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amphibole

[ am-fuh-bohl ]

noun

, Mineralogy.
  1. any of a complex group of hydrous silicate minerals, containing chiefly calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and aluminum, and including hornblende, tremolite, asbestos, etc., occurring as important constituents of many rocks.


amphibole

/ ˈæmfɪˌbəʊl /

noun

  1. any of a large group of minerals consisting of the silicates of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, and aluminium, usually in the form of long slender dark-coloured crystals. Members of the group, including hornblende, actinolite, and tremolite, are common constituents of igneous rocks


amphibole

/ ămfə-bōl′ /

  1. Any of a large group of usually dark minerals composed of a silicate joined to various metals, such as magnesium, iron, calcium or sodium. Amphiboles occur as columnar or fibrous prismatic crystals in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Most are monoclinic, but some are orthorhombic. Hornblende, actinolite and glaucophane are amphiboles. Chemical formula: (Mg,Fe,Ca,Na) 2-3 (Mg,Fe,Al) 5 (Si,Al) 8 O 22 OH 2 .


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Word History and Origins

Origin of amphibole1

1600–10; < French < Late Latin amphibolus amphibolous

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Word History and Origins

Origin of amphibole1

C17: from French, from Greek amphibolos uncertain; so called from the large number of varieties in the group

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Example Sentences

Pargasite, pr′ga-sīt, n. a dark-green crystallised variety of amphibole or hornblende.

The fibrous variety of serpentine is the principal source of asbestos, an amphibole asbestos being less common.

Byssolite or asbestoid is a blue or green fibrous amphibole from Dauphiny.

The reddish amphibole-granite of Syn, which was taken for all the Egyptian obelisks.

It is really the amphibole-granite, but is commonly called Syenite from the name of the place where it is found.

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