A stone or rock containing hair-like mineral inclusions or fibers, such as tourmaline in quartz; same as hairstane.
Compound of 'hair' and 'stone,' an English parallel to the Scottish 'hairstane,' both describing geological specimens with visible hair-like mineral formations within the stone.
Medieval people didn't understand crystal formation, so when they found quartz with golden tourmaline needles inside, they assumed it was literally petrified hair and gave it names like 'hairstone' and 'Venus hair stone'—a beautiful example of how observation precedes scientific understanding.
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