Herapathite

/ˌhɛrəˈpæθaɪt/ noun

Definition

A crystalline compound used in making polarizing filters, discovered by William Herapath in 1852.

Etymology

Named after William Bird Herapath, an English chemist, with the suffix '-ite' (from Greek '-ites'), which is used to name minerals and chemical compounds.

Kelly Says

Herapathite was one of the first polarizing materials—it let scientists filter light waves in the 1800s before we had modern LCD screens, which is basically the same technology.

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