magnesite

[mag-nuh-sahyt]

mag·ne·site

[mag-nuh-sahyt]
noun
a mineral, magnesium carbonate, MgCO3, having a characteristic conchoidal fracture and usually occurring in white masses.

Origin:
1805–15; magnes(ia) + -ite1; compare French magnésite
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Magnesite is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
magnesite (ˈmæɡnɪˌsaɪt)
 
n
a white, colourless, or lightly tinted mineral consisting of naturally occurring magnesium carbonate in hexagonal crystalline form: a source of magnesium and also used in the manufacture of refractory bricks. Formula: MgCO3
 
[C19: from magnesium + -ite1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

magnesite

the mineral magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), a member of the calcite group of carbonate minerals that is a principal source of magnesium. The mineral has formed as an alteration product from magnesium-rich rocks or through the action of magnesium-containing solutions upon calcite. Notable deposits are those at Radenthein, Austria; the Liaotung Peninsula, Liaoning Province, China; and Clark County, Nev., U.S. Iron is usually present, and a complete chemical substitution series exists between magnesite and siderite in which iron replaces magnesium. Magnesite is used as a refractory material, a catalyst and filler in the production of synthetic rubber, and a material in the preparation of magnesium chemicals and fertilizers. For detailed physical properties, see carbonate mineral (table)

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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