[zur-kon] 
| a common mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, occurring in small tetragonal crystals or grains of various colors, usually opaque: used as a refractory when opaque and as a gem when transparent. |
| zir·con (zûr'kŏn') n. A brown to colorless mineral, ZrSiO4, which is heated, cut, and polished to form a brilliant blue-white gem. [German Zirkon, from Arabic siriqun, from Greek surikon, from Persian āzargūn, fire color : āzar, fire (from Middle Persian ādur, from Old Persian *ātar, āç-, in Āçiyādiya, fire-worship month; see āter- in Indo-European roots) + -gūn, color (from Middle Persian; akin to Avestan gaonəm, hair, complexion (second sense unattested)).] |
| zircon (zûr'kŏn') Pronunciation Key
A brown, reddish to bluish, gray, green, or colorless tetragonal mineral that occurs in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, and especially in sand. The colorless varieties are valued as gems. Chemical formula: ZrSiO4. |
kɒn