zeolite

[ zee-uh-lahyt ]

nounMineralogy.
  1. any of a group of hydrated silicates of aluminum with alkali metals, commonly occurring as secondary minerals in cavities in basic volcanic rocks: used for their molecular sieve properties because they undergo dehydration with little or no change in crystal structure.

Origin of zeolite

1
1770–80; <Greek ze(în) to boil + -o- + -lite

Other words from zeolite

  • ze·o·lit·ic [zee-uh-lit-ik], /ˌzi əˈlɪt ɪk/, adjective

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How to use zeolite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for zeolite

zeolite

/ (ˈziːəˌlaɪt) /


noun
  1. any of a large group of glassy secondary minerals consisting of hydrated aluminium silicates of calcium, sodium, or potassium: formed in cavities in lava flows and plutonic rocks

  2. any of a class of similar synthetic materials used in ion exchange and as selective absorbents: See molecular sieve

Origin of zeolite

1
c18: zeo-, from Greek zein to boil + -lite; from the swelling up that occurs under the blowpipe

Derived forms of zeolite

  • zeolitic (ˌziːəˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for zeolite

zeolite

[ ə-līt′ ]


  1. Any of a family of hydrous aluminum silicate minerals, whose molecules enclose cations of sodium, potassium, calcium, strontium, or barium. Zeolites are usually white or colorless, but they can also be red or yellow. They are characterized by their easy and reversible loss of water of hydration. They usually occur within cavities in basalt.

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