spodumene

noun

spod·​u·​mene ˈspä-jə-ˌmēn How to pronounce spodumene (audio)
: a white to yellowish, purplish, or emerald-green monoclinic mineral that is a silicate of lithium and aluminum and occurs in prismatic crystals often of great size

Examples of spodumene in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Albemarle’s lithium mine is expected to produce about 420,000 tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate per year. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2024 Lithium is extracted from spodumene found in the granite rock called pegmatite. Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024 Australia leads the world in lithium production, mining most of it from the mineral spodumene. Aaron Gettinger, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2023 Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection has rejected the Freemans’ request to consider the land a quarry, and is instead classifying spodumene as a metallic mineral. Time, 17 July 2023 Geologists say there’s also likely a lot more lithium in spodumene deposits across New England. Time, 17 July 2023 But geologists know it as spodumene, lithium-bearing ore. Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 24 May 2023 The plant turns the ore from a nearby quarry into spodumene, a greenish crystalline powder that is about 6 percent lithium and sells for about $5,700 a ton. Natasha Frost Matthew Abbott, New York Times, 23 May 2023 Representative Margaret O’Neil, another Democrat from the coastal city of Saco, has proposed a moratorium on spodumene mining in Maine. David Abel, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

probably from French spodumène, from German Spodumen, from Greek spodoumenos, present participle of spodousthai to be burnt to ashes, from spodos ashes

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spodumene was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near spodumene

Cite this Entry

“Spodumene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spodumene. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on spodumene

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!