English

Spinel

Noun

spinel ‎(plural spinels)

1. (mineralogy) Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours.
   • 2012 March 1, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 128:

     Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)

2. (solid state chemistry) Any crystalline material, not necessarily an oxide, that possesses the same crystal structure as this mineral.
3. Bleached yarn in making the linen tape called inkle; unwrought inkle.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

Translations

See also

• ruby

Derived terms

• selenospinel
• sulfospinel

Anagrams

• Pilsen
• spline

Old English

Etymology

Proto-Germanic *spinilo from the verb *spinan.

Noun

spinel f

1. spindle

Derived terms

• mulne spinel