orthoclase Hear it!

orthoclase definition

or·tho·clase (ôr′t̸hō klās′, -klāz′; -t̸hə-)

noun

a monoclinic feldspar, KAlSiO, that is dimorphic with microcline; potassium aluminum silicate

Etymology: Ger orthoklas < Gr orthos (see ortho-) + klasis, fracture (< klan, to break: see clastic), because of the 90° cleavage

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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