English Explanatory Dictionary

tanzanite

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone.

Pronunciation

/ˈtænzənaɪt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tanzanite.wav /ˈtænzəˌnaɪt/

Word forms

tanzanite tanzanites

Etymology

From Tanzania + -ite (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks), coined by Henry B. Platt, a vice president of the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. when it first marketed the gem in 1968: see the October 3, 1968, quotation.

Synonyms

blue zoisite pleochroic zoisite vanadium zoisite

Related words

gemstone
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