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Glite Dictionary
marcasite

marcasite

1 9.6
A pale yellow mineral like pyrite often used in jewelry
  • noun
  • /ˈmɑrkəˌsaɪt/
  • Specialized
: marcasita
  • Before Jolie-Gray sees the back of Lucette's hand, it hits, with the hard little knuckles, the marcasite ring with its multiple, intricate onyx and diamond-chip surfaces, flat across Jolie-Gray's mouth.
  • marcasite-and-pearl

Examples

  • He bought a beautiful marcasite ring as a gift for his mother.

  • The artist used marcasite to create stunning and unique sculptures.

  • Her marcasite jewelry sparkled under the lights during the gala.

Surface Forms

marcasite singular
marcasites plural

Morphology

marcasite = marcas + ite

The suffix '-ite' signals a mineral, but the root 'marcas' is not a productive English word, so the specific meaning cannot be fully derived from known English components.

Etymology

Marcasite probably comes from an old name for this mineral, and the ending -ite means 'stone', as in graphite. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine a small 'marked stone' with a metallic shine, because marcasite is the pale yellow, sparkly mineral often used in jewelry.