Iridosmine

2 definitions found

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

  Iridosmine \Ir`i*dos"mine\, Iridosmium \Ir`i*dos"mi*um\, n.
     [Iridium + osmium.] (Min.)
     The native compound of iridium and osmium. It is found in
     flattened metallic grains of extreme hardness, and is often
     used for pointing gold pens.
     [1913 Webster]



From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  iridosmine
       n : a hard and corrosion resistant mineral that is a natural
           alloy of osmium and iridium (usually containing small
           amounts of rhodium and platinum); used in needles and pen
           nibs etc. [syn: {osmiridium}]