mineral
pronunciation
How to pronounce mineral in British English:
UK [ˈmɪnərəl]
How to pronounce mineral in American English:
US [ˈmɪnərəl]
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- Noun:
- solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition
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- Adjective:
- relating to minerals
- of or containing or derived from minerals
- composed of matter other than plant or animal
Word Origin
- mineral
- mineral: [15] A mineral is etymologically something obtained by ‘mining’. The word comes from medieval Latin minerāle, a derivative of the adjective minerālis. This in turn was derived from minera ‘ore’, a latinization of Old French miniere. And miniere itself came from Vulgar Latin *mināria, a derivative of *mina – source of English mine.=> mine
- mineral (n.)
- late 14c., "substance obtained by mining," from Medieval Latin minerale "something mined," noun use of neuter of mineralis "pertaining to mines," from minera "mine." Meaning "material substance that is neither animal nor vegetable" is first recorded c. 1600. Modern scientific sense is from 1813.
- mineral (adj.)
- early 15c., "neither animal nor vegetable," from Old French mineral and directly from Medieval Latin mineralis (see mineral (n.)). Mineral water (early 15c.) originally was water found in nature with some mineral substance dissolved in it.
Example
- 1. Secondly , mineral makeup is all natural and hypo-allergenic .
- 2. Its cause is unknown but possibly linked to subtle mineral deficiencies .
- 3. Yet australia 's dependence on coal and other mineral exports makes the government wary .
- 4. The flats do not yield their mineral wealth very easily .
- 5. He and his colleagues have been experimenting with a mineral called iceland spar .