Billitonite

/ˌbɪlɪˈtoʊnaɪt/ noun

Definition

A type of meteorite or rare mineral, possibly named after Billiton (an island in Indonesia) where such specimens were found or studied.

Etymology

From Billiton, an Indonesian island (Belitung in modern Indonesian), plus the mineralogical suffix '-ite' indicating a mineral or rock type. This naming convention is standard in mineralogy.

Kelly Says

Billitonite is so obscure that it appears in almost no major dictionaries, yet it exemplifies how mineralogy gives every rock a scientific name—geologists have named tens of thousands of minerals using this '-ite' pattern.

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