gangue
(gæŋ)
Also gang.
[a. F. gangue, ad. Ger. gang a vein or lode of metal, of the same origin as gang n.1: see also gangart.]
The earthy or stony matter in a mineral deposit; the matrix in which an ore is found.
| 1809 Gregor in Phil. Trans. XCIX. 196 The gangue is a white quartz. 1815 W. Phillips Outl. Min. & Geol. (1818) 60 An earthy or stony substance which..is termed the gangue or matrix of the metal or ore. 1871 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Eng. I. 95 Their earthy portions we designate as their ‘matrix’ or ‘gangue’. |
| attrib. 1872 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 22 Those ores bearing much gangue matter..can easily be assorted. |