amphibole
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am·phi·bole
(ăm′fə-bōl′)n.
Any of a large group of structurally similar silicate minerals, such as hornblende, that have a crystalline structure consisting of a double chain of linked SiO4 units and that contain various combinations of sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum. Several varieties of asbestos are fibrous forms of amphiboles.
[French, from Late Latin amphibolus, ambiguous, from Greek amphibolos, doubtful, from amphiballein, to throw on either side : amphi-, amphi- + ballein, to throw; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.]
am′phi·bol′ic (-bŏl′ĭk) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amphibole
(ˈæmfɪˌbəʊl)n
(Minerals) any of a large group of minerals consisting of the silicates of calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, and aluminium, usually in the form of long slender dark-coloured crystals. Members of the group, including hornblende, actinolite, and tremolite, are common constituents of igneous rocks
[C17: from French, from Greek amphibolos uncertain; so called from the large number of varieties in the group]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
am•phi•bole
(ˈæm fəˌboʊl)n.
any of a complex group of hydrous silicate minerals, containing chiefly calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and aluminum, and including hornblende, tremolite, asbestos, etc., occurring as important constituents of many rocks.
[1600–10; < French < Late Latin amphibolus < Greek amphíbolos thrown on both sides, ambiguous =amphi- amphi- + -bolos, derivative of bállein to throw]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
am·phi·bole
(ăm′fə-bōl′) Any of a large group of minerals composed of a silicate joined to various metals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, or sodium. Hornblende is a mineral of the amphibole group.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amphibole
Any of a group of rock-forming ferromagnesian silicates.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
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| Noun | 1. |  amphibole - a mineral or mineral variety belonging to the amphibole groupmineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition amphibole group - a group of minerals with similar crystal structures containing a silicate chain and combinations of chiefly sodium and calcium and magnesium and iron and aluminum amphibolite - a metamorphic rock composed chiefly of amphibole and plagioclase nephrite - an amphibole mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade that is less valuable than from jadeite; once believed to cure kidney disorders actinolite - a green mineral of the amphibole group; calcium magnesium iron silicate anthophyllite - a dark brown mineral of the amphibole group; magnesium iron silicate asbestos - a fibrous amphibole; used for making fireproof articles; inhaling fibers can cause asbestosis or lung cancer hornblende - a green to black mineral of the amphibole group; consists of silicates of calcium and sodium and magnesium and iron |
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