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mineral definition

min·eral (min′ər əl, min′rəl)

noun

  1. an inorganic substance occurring naturally in the earth and having a consistent and distinctive set of physical properties (e.g., a usually crystalline structure, hardness, color, etc.) and a composition that can be expressed by a chemical formula: sometimes applied to substances in the earth of organic origin, such as coal
  2. ore
  3. any substance that is neither vegetable nor animal
  4. any element or inorganic compound needed by plants and animals for proper growth and functioning, as iron, phosphorus, or nitrate
  5. Brit.
    1. mineral water
    2. a flavored, carbonated soft drink

Etymology: OFr < ML minerale, neut. of mineralis, mineral < minera, ore < VL *mina, mine

adjective

of, like, consisting of, or containing a mineral or 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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