olivine
/ˈɑl.əˌvin/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of a group of olive green magnesium-iron silicate minerals that crystallize in the orthorhombic system.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The olivine crystals in most basalts are imperfect, lacking clear crystal faces."
- "To do so, his team mixed together limestone with a crushed silicate mineral that contains magnesium — such as olivine, an olive-tinted mineral that can be found around the world. When heated to furiously high temperatures in a kiln, calcium in the limestone and magnesium in the silicate jiggle and switch sides, like participants in a square dance."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɑl.əˌvin/
- British English: /ˈɒl.ɪˌviːn/