The common name for fluorite, a mineral consisting of calcium fluoride, used in metallurgy, glassmaking, and as a source of fluorine.
Compound of 'fluor' (flow) and 'spar' (from German 'Spat,' a crystalline mineral), dating to 18th-century mineralogy when the mineral's use as a flux was well established.
Fluorspar literally means 'flowing crystal,' and miners loved it because just a sprinkle would make molten metal flow like water, making it one of the few rocks that actively helped metalworkers achieve their goals.
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