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Glite Dictionary
cuprite

cuprite

9.9
A red or brown mineral that people use to get copper
  • noun
  • /ˈkjuːpraɪt/
  • Specialized
: cuprita
  • The deep red color of the cuprite sample made it easy to identify.

Examples

  • Miners extracted pounds of copper from veins rich in cuprite.

  • Cuprite is often found alongside minerals such as malachite and azurite.

  • The cuprite was discovered in the old mine.

  • Many geologists study cuprites for their copper content.

  • The deep red color of the cuprite sample made it easy to identify.

  • Miners extracted pounds of copper from veins rich in cuprite.

  • Cuprite is often found alongside minerals such as malachite and azurite.

Surface Forms

cuprite singular
cuprites plural

Morphology

cuprite = copper (semi-transparent) = cupr + ite

The mineral name is formed with the combining form 'cupr-' plus the mineral suffix '-ite', which indicates a copper-bearing mineral but the root form differs from the everyday word 'copper', so the relation is not fully obvious to learners.

Etymology

Cuprite comes from the Latin cuprum ('copper') plus the mineral ending -ite. So cuprite basically means 'copper mineral', which fits its deep red color and its role as an important source of copper.