a colourless or white mineral sometimes tinted by impurities, found in beds as an evaporite. It is used to produce common salt and chlorine. Composition: sodium chloride. Formula: NaCl. Crystal structure: cubic Also called rock salt
Word Origin
C19: from New Latin halītes; see halo-, -ite²
Word Origin and History for halite
n.
"rock-salt," 1868, coined as Modern Latin halites (Glocker, 1847), from Greek hals "salt" (see halo-) + chemical noun suffix -ite (2).
halite in Science
halite
(hāl'īt', hā'līt') A colorless or white mineral occurring as cubic crystals. Halite is found in dried lakebeds in arid climates and is used as table salt. Chemical formula: NaCl. See more at salt.