[smith-suh-nahyt] 
| a native carbonate of zinc, ZnCO3, that is an important ore of the metal. |
| smith·son·ite (smĭth'sə-nīt') n. A mineral, ZnCO3, sometimes used as a source of zinc. [After James Smithson.] |
smithsonite
zinc carbonate (ZnCO3), a mineral that was the principal source of zinc until the 1880s, when it was replaced by sphalerite. It is ordinarily found in the oxidized zone of ore deposits as a secondary mineral or alteration product of primary zinc minerals; notable deposits are at Laurium, Greece; Bytom and Tarnowskie Gory, Pol.; Sardinia, Italy; and Leadville, Colo., U.S. For detailed physical properties, see carbonate mineral (table)
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səˌnaɪt