A mineral or chemical compound containing cresol or related to cresol compounds found in certain geological formations.
From cresyl (the chemical radical derived from cresol) combined with the mineral suffix -ite, following the pattern of naming minerals discovered in the 19th century.
Many mineral names ending in -ite were created during the Victorian era of mineral collecting, when new compounds and elements were being discovered at such a rapid pace that chemists needed a consistent naming system.
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