English Explanatory Dictionary

spinel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours.
  2. Any crystalline material, not necessarily an oxide, that possesses the same crystal structure as this mineral.
noun
  1. Spindle; the amount of yarn that fits on a spindle.

Pronunciation

/spɪˈnɛl/ /ˈspɪn.əl/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-spinel.wav

Word forms

spinel spinels spinelle

Etymology

French spinelle, perhaps from Latin spina (“a thorn, a prickle”), in allusion to its pointed crystals.

Related words

ruby

Derived words

chlorospinel cuprospinel ruby spinel selenospinel sulfospinel sulphospinel thiospinel
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