zircon in British English
(ˈzɜːkɒn)
noun
a reddish-brown, grey, green, blue, or colourless hard mineral consisting of zirconium silicate in tetragonal crystalline form with hafnium and some rare earths as impurities. It occurs principally in igneous rocks and is an important source of zirconium, zirconia, and hafnia: it is used as a gemstone and a refractory. Formula: ZrSiO4
Word origin
C18: from German Zirkon, from French jargon, via Italian and Arabic, from Persian zargūn goldenzircon in American English
(ˈzɜrˌkɑn)
noun
a light-colored, very hard mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, an ore of zirconium: used as a gem when transparent
see also Mohs scale (sense 2) Word origin
Ger zirkon, altered (by Werner: see wernerite) < Fr jargon < It giargone < Ar zarqūn, bright red < Pers zargūn, gold-colored < zar, goldImage ofzircon
© Sergey Le, shutterstock
Word lists withzircon
gem, mineral- matricidal
- matricide
- matriclinic
- matriclinous
- matricula
- matriculant
- matricular
- matriculate
- matriculation
- matriculator
- matriculatory
- matrifocal
- matrifocality
- matrilineal
- matrilineally
- matriliny
- matrilocal
- matrilocality
- matrilocally
- matrimonial
- matrimonially
- matrimonies
- matrimony
- matrimony vine
- matrioshka