a silver-white mineral consisting of a telluride of gold and silver in the form of elongated striated crystals: a source of gold in Australia and North America. Formula: (Au,Ag)Te2
Word origin
C18: from (Tran)sylvan(ia) + -ite1, with reference to the region where it was first found
sylvanite in American English
(ˈsɪlvəˌnaɪt)
noun
a gray or silvery telluride of gold and silver (Ag,Au)Te2, crystallizing in the monoclinic system