| iron or copper pyrites, sometimes mistaken for gold. |
| fool's gold n. See pyrite. |
py·rite  (pī'rīt')  n. A brass-colored mineral, FeS2, occurring widely and used as an iron ore and in producing sulfur dioxide for sulfuric acid. Also called fool's gold, iron pyrites. [Middle English perides, pirite, from Old French pirite, from Latin pyrītēs, flint; see pyrites.] py·rit'ic (-rĭt'ĭk), py·rit'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj. |