A gray mineral containing bismuth, sulfur, and oxygen that is often found in ore deposits and studied by geologists.
From bismuth (the metallic element) plus -inite (a mineral suffix). Bismuth itself comes from German 'Wismut,' possibly from Old German 'wissen' (to know) or related to the color white.
Bismuthinite crystals are so striking that they inspired jewelry designers, but scientists value it more as a key ore of bismuth—an element so strange it actually expands when it freezes, unlike almost everything else!
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