Hornblende

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hornblende \Horn"blende`\, n. [G., fr. horn horn + blende
     blende.] (Min.)
     The common black, or dark green or brown, variety of
     amphibole. (See {Amphibole}.) It belongs to the aluminous
     division of the species, and is also characterized by its
     containing considerable iron. Also used as a general term to


     include the whole species.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Hornblende schist} (Geol.), a hornblende rock of schistose
        structure.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Amphibole \Am"phi*bole\ ([a^]m"f[i^]*b[=o]l), n. [Gr.
     'amfi`bolos doubtful, equivocal, fr. 'amfiba`llein to throw
     round, to doubt: cf. F. amphibole. Ha["u]y so named the genus
     from the great variety of color and composition assumed by
     the mineral.] (Min.)
     A common mineral embracing many varieties varying in color
     and in composition. It occurs in monoclinic crystals; also
     massive, generally with fibrous or columnar structure. The
     color varies from white to gray, green, brown, and black. It
     is a silicate of magnesium and calcium, with usually
     aluminium and iron. Some common varieties are {tremolite},
     {actinolite}, {asbestus}, {edenite}, {hornblende} (the last
     name being also used as a general term for the whole
     species). Amphibole is a constituent of many crystalline
     rocks, as syenite, diorite, most varieties of trachyte, etc.
     See {Hornblende}.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hornblende
       n : a green to black mineral of the amphibole group; consists of
           silicates of calcium and sodium and magnesium and iron