acanthite

noun

acan·​thite

əˈkanˌthīt,

ˈakənˌ-

plural -s

: a mineral Ag₂S consisting of a silver sulfide like argentite but crystallizing in slender prisms (specific gravity 7.2–7.3)

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary acanth- + -ite; from the thornlike shape of its crystals; originally formed as German akanthit

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

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