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Glite Dictionary
argentite

argentite

9.9
A dark metallic mineral that contains silver and people mine it to get the metal
  • noun
  • /ˈɑrdʒənˌtaɪt/
  • Specialized
: argentita
  • The miners discovered a rich vein of argentite deep within the old silver mine.

Examples

  • Geologists identified the dark crystals as argentite based on their composition and metallic luster.

  • Large deposits of argentite were crucial to the town's rapid economic growth in the nineteenth century.

  • The mineral argentite is fascinating.

  • Is argentite valuable?

  • Geologists identified the dark crystals as argentite based on their composition and metallic luster.

  • Large deposits of argentite were crucial to the town's rapid economic growth in the nineteenth century.

  • The miners discovered a rich vein of argentite deep within the old silver mine.

Surface Forms

argentite singular
argentites plural

Morphology

argentite = argent (opaque) = argent + ite

Although '-ite' signals a mineral, the base 'argent' is an uncommon/archaic English form meaning 'silver', so most learners will not infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Argentite comes from Latin argentum, which means 'silver', and the ending -ite is used for minerals. So argentite literally means a 'silver' mineral and is an important source of silver.