apatite Hear it!

apatite definition

apa·tite (ap′ə tīt′)

noun

any of a group of variously colored, hard, hexagonal calcium minerals, Ca(PO, CO) (F,OH,Cl), found mainly in sedimentary rocks, esp. phosphate rock, and in teeth and bones

Etymology: Ger apatit < Gr apatē, deceit + -ite: so named from being mistaken for other minerals

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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