nephrite

neph·rite

N0061800 (nĕf′rīt′)n. A white to dark green variety of jade, chiefly a metasilicate of iron, calcium, and magnesium.

[Greek nephros, kidney (from the belief that it cured kidney diseases) + -ite.]

nephrite

(ˈnɛfraɪt) n (Minerals) a tough fibrous amphibole mineral: a variety of jade consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. Formula: Ca2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2. Also called: kidney stone [C18: via German Nephrit from Greek nephrós kidney, so called because it was thought to be beneficial in kidney disorders]

neph•rite

(ˈnɛf raɪt)

n. a compact granular variety of actinolite, varying from whitish to dark green: a form of jade. [1785–95; < German Nephrit]

Thesaurus

Noun

nephrite - an amphibole mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade that is less valuable than from jadeite; once believed to cure kidney disordersamphibole - a mineral or mineral variety belonging to the amphibole groupamphibole group - a group of minerals with similar crystal structures containing a silicate chain and combinations of chiefly sodium and calcium and magnesium and iron and aluminum

nephrite

nephrite:

see jadejade,
common name for either of two minerals used as gems. The rarer variety of jade is jadeite, a sodium aluminum silicate, NaAl(SiO₃)₂, usually white or green in color; the green variety is the more valuable.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Nephrite

(Greek nephros, “kidney”; in antiquity it was believed to be a remedy for kidney disease), a mineral variety of actinolite and tremolite, occurring as a compact microcrystalline aggregate with a minutely fibrous, felted structure. Extremely tough, nephrite readily acquires a polish. Its color varies from milky white or greenish to dark green, sometimes exhibiting mottled patterns owing to the inclusion of other minerals. It has been valued as a semiprecious stone since antiquity; tools and art objects have been fashioned out of it in various countries, particularly China, Burma, and India.

Nephrite is formed during the metamorphism of basic rocks, such as serpentinites and pyroxene and amphibole schists. It is generally extracted from alluvial deposits, where it occurs in the form of pebbles and large boulders. Major deposits of the mineral are found in the USSR (Vostochnyi Saian, the Baikal Region), China (Kunlun Mountains, basins of the Ho-t’ien and Yarkand rivers), New Zealand, and Polynesia.

nephrite

[ne′frīt] (mineralogy) An exceptionally tough, compact, fine-grained, greenish or bluish amphibole constituting the less valuable type of jade; formerly worn as a remedy for kidney diseases. Also known as greenstone; kidney stone.

nephrite

neph·rite

nephrite

neph•rite

nephrite

nephrite:

Nephrite

nephrite

nephrite

Words related to nephrite

noun an amphibole mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form

Related Words