fluorite

[floo r-ahyt, flawr-, flohr-] /ˈflʊər aɪt, ˈflɔr-, ˈfloʊr-/
noun
1.
a common mineral, calcium fluoride, CaF 2 , occurring in green, blue, purple, yellow, or colorless crystals, usually in cubes: the principal source of fluorine, used also as a flux in metallurgy and for ornament.
Also called fluor, fluorspar, fluor spar.
Origin
1865-70; < Italian; see fluor-, -ite1
Examples from the web for fluorite
  • The seeming disorder of calcite highlights the geometric precision of fluorite.
  • Distal barite-fluorite veins consist of variable proportions of barite, fluorite, and manganese oxides.
  • fluorite is a bluish-green mineral used in the smelting of iron and in the ceramic and chemical industry.
British Dictionary definitions for fluorite

fluorite

/ˈflʊəraɪt/
noun
1.
(US & Canadian) a white or colourless mineral sometimes fluorescent and often tinted by impurities, found in veins and as deposits from hot gases. It is used in the manufacture of glass, enamel, and jewellery, and is the chief ore of fluorine. Composition: calcium fluoride. Formula: CaF2. Crystal structure: cubic Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) fluorspar, fluor
fluorite in Science
fluorite
  (flr'īt')   
A transparent to translucent mineral occurring in many colors, especially yellow and purple, and usually in cube-shaped crystals with octahedral cleavage. It is found in sedimentary rocks and in ore deposits within igneous rocks. It is often fluorescent in ultraviolet light. Chemical formula: CaF2.