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n. The primary ore of zinc, occurring in usually yellow-brown or brownish-black crystals or cleavage masses, essentially ZnS with some cadmium, iron, and manganese. Also called blende, zinc blende. [Greek sphaleros, slippery, deceitful (from its being easily mistaken for galena) (from sphallein, to trip, from sphalos, fetter, pair of stocks; akin to Sanskrit skhalate, he stumbles, and Armenian sxalem, I stumble) + -ITE1.] |
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