| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
quartz (kwɔːts) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a colourless mineral often tinted by impurities, found in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass, abrasives, and cement, and also as a gemstone; the violet-purple variety is amethyst, the brown variety is cairngorm, the yellow variety is citrine, and the pink variety is rose quartz. Composition: silicon dioxide. Formula: SiO2. Crystal structure: hexagonal |
| 2. | short for quartz glass |
| [C18: from German Quarz, of Slavic origin] | |
quartz (kwôrts)
n.
A very hard crystalline form of silicon dioxide used in chemical apparatus and in optical and electric instruments.
| quartz (kwôrts) Pronunciation Key
A hard, transparent trigonal mineral that, after feldspar, is the most common mineral on the surface of the Earth. It occurs as a component of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks as well as in a variety of other forms such as rock crystal, flint, and agate. Some crystalline forms, such as amethyst, are considered gemstones. Chemical formula: SiO2. |