quartz

[kwawrts] /kwɔrts/

noun

one of the commonest minerals, silicon dioxide, SiO ₂ , having many varieties that differ in color, luster, etc., and occurring either in masses (as agate, bloodstone, chalcedony, jasper, etc.) or in crystals (as rock crystal, amethyst, citrine, etc.): the chief constituent of sand and sandstone, and an important constituent of many other rocks. It is piezoelectric and used to control the frequencies of radio transmitters.

Origin

1750-60; < German Quarz

Related forms

quartzose

[kwawrt-sohs] /ˈkwɔrt soʊs/ (Show IPA), quartzous

[kwawrt-suh s] /ˈkwɔrt səs/ (Show IPA), adjective

Can be confused

quarts, quartz.

Examples from the web for quartz

Two wizards go and remove the stone, which appears to be quartz, and then the novice is resuscitated.
Coesite is a variant of quartz that forms only under intense heat and pressure.
Step on a hunk of quartz in the dirt, and you'll think nothing of it.
It appears to be made of quartz and has cutouts near the widest end.
Some are crystal clear, others of smoky or colored quartz.
The researchers also discovered quartz flakes packed in some of the cave's crevices.
The oxygen stolen from the metals turns the silicon into silicon dioxide, or quartz.
The art itself-carved with chunks of quartz-is said to depict visions that came to the shamans in their trances.
Radios normally use a quartz crystal or some other oscillator to serve as a reference when adjusting the radio frequency.
Halogen bulbs are more efficient because their quartz cases allow the tungsten filaments to burn at a higher temperature.

British Dictionary definitions for quartz

quartz

/kwɔːts/

noun

a colourless mineral often tinted by impurities, found in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It is used in the manufacture of glass, abrasives, and cement, and also as a gemstone; the violet-purple variety is amethyst, the brown variety is cairngorm, the yellow variety is citrine, and the pink variety is rose quartz. Composition: silicon dioxide. Formula: SiO2. Crystal structure: hexagonal

short for quartz glass

Word Origin

C18: from German Quarz, of Slavic origin

Word Origin and History for quartz

"silicon dioxide," 1756, from German Quarz, Zwarc "rock crystal," from Middle High German twarc, probably from a West Slavic source, cf. Czech tvrdy, Polish twardy "quartz," noun uses of an adjective meaning "hard," from Old Church Slavonic tvrudu "hard," from Proto-Slavic *tvrd-, from PIE *(s)twer- "to grasp, hold; hard."

quartz in Medicine

quartz (kwôrts)
n.
A very hard crystalline form of silicon dioxide used in chemical apparatus and in optical and electric instruments.

quartz in Science

quartz

(kwôrts)
A hard, transparent trigonal mineral that, after feldspar, is the most common mineral on the surface of the Earth. It occurs as a component of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks as well as in a variety of other forms such as rock crystal, flint, and agate. Some crystalline forms, such as amethyst, are considered gemstones. Chemical formula: SiO₂.