A rare white or colorless mineral (sodium aluminum fluoride) that is important in the commercial production of aluminum and was once mined extensively in Greenland.
From Greek 'kryos' (cold) + 'lithos' (stone), named because it melts at low temperature compared to many minerals. The term emerged in the 19th century when mineralogists classified this mineral.
Cryolite's name literally means 'ice-stone' because it melts at only 1000°C instead of the super-high temperatures other minerals need—and it was so valuable that Greenland's massive deposits made it rich, and now it's mostly synthetic.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.