collophane

[ kol-uh-feyn ]

nounMineralogy.
  1. a massive, cryptocrystalline variety of apatite that is the principal component of phosphate rock and fossil bone.

Origin of collophane

1
1915–20; <German Kollophan, equivalent to Greek koll(a) glue + -o- -o- + -phan -phane
  • Also col·loph·a·nite [kuh-lof-uh-nahyt, kol-uh-fuh-]. /kəˈlɒf əˌnaɪt, ˈkɒl ə fə-/.

Words Nearby collophane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024