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dolomite - 5 dictionary results

do⋅lo⋅mite

[doh-luh-mahyt, dol-uh-]
–noun
1. a very common mineral, calcium magnesium carbonate, CaMg(CO3)2, occurring in crystals and in masses.
2. a rock consisting essentially or largely of this mineral.

Origin:
1785–95; < F, named after D. de Dolom(ieu) (1750–1801), French mineralogist; see -ite 1


dol⋅o⋅mit⋅ic [dol-uh-mit-ik] , adjective
dol·o·mite   (dō'lə-mīt', dŏl'ə-)   
n.  
  1. A white or light-colored mineral, essentially CaMg(CO3)2, used in fertilizer, as a furnace refractory, and as a construction and ceramic material.
  2. A magnesia-rich sedimentary rock resembling limestone.

[French, after Déodat de Dolomieu (1750-1801), French geologist.]
dol'o·mit'ic (-mĭt'ĭk) adj., dol'o·mit'i·za'tion (-mĭt'ĭ-zā'shən) n., dol'o·mit·ize' (-mĭ-tīz') v.

Dolomite

Dol"o*mite\, n. [After the French geologist Dolomieu.] (Geol. & Min.) A mineral consisting of the carbonate of lime and magnesia in varying proportions. It occurs in distinct crystals, and in extensive beds as a compact limestone, often crystalline granular, either white or clouded. It includes much of the common white marble. Also called bitter spar.

dolomite 
1794, named for Fr. geologist Déodat De Gratet De Dolomieu (1750-1801) who described the rock in his study of the Alps (1791).
dolomite   (dō'lə-mīt', dŏl'ə-mīt')  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A gray, pink, or white rhombohedral mineral. Dolomite occurs in curved saddlelike crystals with a pearly to glassy luster. It is a common rock-forming mineral. Chemical formula: CaMg(CO3)2.
  2. A sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight.

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