paramorphn.
/ˈparəmɔːf/, U.S. /ˈpɛrəˌmɔrf/ Mineralogy.
A pseudomorph resulting from a change of physical characters without a change in chemical composition.
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the world > the earth > minerals > mineral structure or appearance > [noun] > crystal structure > mineral or assemblage
isomorph1864
allomorph1866
paramorph1875
polymorph1890
isotype1901
1875 F. A. Genth Prelim. Rep. Mineral. Pennsylvania 101 The fibrolite..appears to be a pseudomorph or paramorph of andalusite.
1892 Amer. Naturalist 26 55 Many of the supposed paramorphs have been proven..to be due..rather to the solution of some original substance and its replacement by a new deposition.
1916 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2 532 The hornblende is brown with black border, and opaque paramorphs of hornblende are abundant.
1983 Internat. Geol. Rev. 25 512/1 Graphitization goes as far as complete conversion of the diamond lattice to a graphite one, with the production of polycrystalline paramorphs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1875