phenacite Min.
(ˈfɛnəsaɪt)
-kite (-kaɪt).
[Named, 1833, f. Gr. ϕέναξ, ϕένακ-α cheat (on account of its having been mistaken for quartz) + -ite1.]
A silicate of glucinum, occurring in quartz-like transparent or translucent crystals, colourless, wine-yellow, or brown.
| 1834 Phil. Mag. Ser. iii. V. 102 Phenakite, a new mineral from the Ural. 1861 H. W. Bristow Gloss. Min. 282 Phenacite..transparent to opaque. 1879 Longfellow in Life (1891) III. 304 The precious stones in the ‘Iron Pen’ are a white Phenacite from Siberia, a yellow zircon from Ceylon, and a red Tourmaline from Maine. 1881 Nature XXIV. 89/2 The rare mineral phenakite..sometimes used as a gem. |