moissaniten.
/ˈmwasənʌɪt/, /ˈmɔɪsənʌɪt/, U.S. /ˈmɔɪsəˌnaɪt/ Mineralogy.
Trigonal silicon carbide, SiC, which occurs as colourless to blue or green hexagonal plates with a metallic lustre and is the naturally occurring form of carborundum.
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the world > the earth > minerals > types of mineral > carbides > [noun]
iron carbide1866
cementite1888
moissanite1905
1905 G. F. Kunz in Amer. Jrnl. Sci. 169 397 As this is the first instance in which this compound [sc. carborundum] has been proved to occur in nature, and therefore, as a mineral, is entitled to a distinct mineralogical name, it would seem that the name of Professor Moissan himself should be associated with it. I would, therefore, propose for it the name of Moissanite.
1944 C. Palache et al. Dana's Syst. Mineral. (ed. 7) I. 124 The habit and color of the natural crystals suggest that moissanite is the same as the Type II silicon carbide of Baumhauer.
1968 I. Kostov Mineral. 105 Artificial moissanite is called carborundum.
1993 Neues Jahrb. f. Mineral.: Monatshefte 11 525 The investigated moissanite was formed before the deposition of Metaxades volcaniclastic rocks.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1905