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nephrite

 
Dictionary: neph·rite   (nĕf'rīt') pronunciation
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n.
A white to dark green variety of jade, chiefly a metasilicate of iron, calcium, and magnesium.

[Greek nephros, kidney (from the belief that it cured kidney diseases) + -ITE1.]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: nephrite
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Gem-quality, usually green silicate mineral in the tremolite-actinolite-ferrotremolite series of amphiboles. It is the less prized but more common of the two types of jade and may be distinguished from jadeite by its splintery fracture and oily lustre. Nephrite occurs in low-grade (formed under low-temperature, low-pressure conditions), regionally metamorphosed rocks. Important deposits occur in China, Siberia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Alaska, and Wyoming.

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Archaeology Dictionary: nephrite
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[Ma]

One of two kinds of jade (the other is jadeite axes), being a semi-precious stone widely used for making ornaments and jewellery. Technically an iron calcium magnesium silicate of the amphibole mineral group, nephrite is generally a whitish to dark green colour, although it can be blue or black. Sources of nephrite material are known in China, Siberia, Pakistan, New Zealand, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Poland, the Swiss Alps, Italy, Sicily, and North and South America.
WordNet: nephrite
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: 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

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more