plagioclase

[pley-jee-uh-kleys]

pla·gi·o·clase

[pley-jee-uh-kleys]
noun
any of the feldspar minerals varying in composition from acidic albite, NaAlSi3O8, to basic anorthite, CaAl2Si2O8, found in most igneous rocks: shows twinning striations on good cleavage surfaces.


Origin:
1865–70; plagio- + -clase

pla·gi·o·clas·tic [pley-jee-uh-klas-tik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Plagioclase is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
plagioclase (ˈpleɪdʒɪəʊˌkleɪz)
 
n
a series of feldspar minerals consisting of a mixture of sodium and calcium aluminium silicates in triclinic crystalline form: includes albite, oligoclase, and labradorite
 
plagioclastic
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
plagioclase   (plā'jē-ə-klās')  Pronunciation Key 
Any of a series of common feldspar minerals, consisting of differing mixtures of sodium and calcium aluminum silicates. Plagioclase is typically white, yellow, or reddish-gray, but it can also be blue to black. It occurs in igneous rocks. The minerals albite, oligoclase, andesine, labradorite, bytownite, and anorthite are all plagioclases. Chemical formula: (Na,Ca)Al(Si,Al)Si2O8.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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