apatite Min.
(ˈæpətaɪt)
[mod. f. (by Werner 1786) Gr. ἀπάτη deceit + -ite; in reference to the diverse and deceiving forms of the mineral.]
A native crystallized phosphate of lime, varying in colour from white to green, blue, violet, brown; transparent, translucent, or opaque.
| 1803 Edin. Rev. III. 51 It is..much better to talk..of phosphate of lime, than of apatite. 1869 Phillips Vesuv. x. 284 Apatite..is found crystallized in ejected blocks and lava. 1879 Rutley Stud. Rocks x. 146 Under the microscope apatite appears in elongated hexagonal prisms. |