copper pyrites
- noun
- /ˈkɑːpər ˈpaɪraɪts/
- Specialized
:
pirita de cobre
- The geologist identified copper pyrites in the rock samples taken from the site of the old mine.
Examples
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Copper pyrites is an important mineral for mining, as it is a key source of copper pyrites.
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Prospectors had also discovered iron and copper pyrites, galantine, sulfonic acids, salts, and more varieties of mercaptan than the chemists could classify.
Fiction book (2000) -
In geology class, we learned that copper pyrites, also known as chalcopyrite, contains both copper and iron.
Synonyms
A yellow mineral that is the main source of copper
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is transparently compositional: 'copper' + 'pyrites' denotes a pyrite mineral that contains copper (i.e., chalcopyrite), so the overall meaning follows directly from the constituents. Although it's a technical mineral name, the semantic combination is regular and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Copper pyrites gets its name from the parts copper and pyrites. One popular story says pyrites comes from an old word for 'fire' because the yellow, hard stone makes sparks when hit, and copper shows the rock has copper inside. So the name tells us this yellow, metallic rock is a 'source of copper'.
