chrysolite

From Middle English crisolite, from Old French crisolite, from Medieval Latin crisolitus, Latin chrȳsolithus, from Ancient Greek χρῡσόλιθος (khrūsólithos), from χρῡσός (khrūsós, “gold”) + λίθος (líthos, “stone”). Surface analysis chryso- (“pertaining to gold”) + -lite (“pertaining to rocks, minerals”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪs.əˌlaɪt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪs.əˌlaɪt/

chrysolite (countable and uncountable, plural chrysolites)

1. (mineralogy) Originally, any of various green-coloured gems; later specifically peridot.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970, partition II, section 4, member 1, subsection iii:

     Fran. Rueus […] say as much of the chrysolite, a friend of wisdome, an enemy to folly.

   • 1920, H. P. Lovecraft, The Doom that Came to Sarnath:

     And before he died, Taran-Ish had scrawled upon the altar of chrysolite with coarse shaky strokes the sign of DOOM.

2. A piece of such stone.
   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 155:

     A piece of marigold or bay leaf was imbedded in the metal, and over it a carbuncle or chrysolite was placed.

• David Barthelmy (1997–2023), “Chrysolite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “chrysolite”, in Mindat.org‎, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2023.

• chrysotile

From Latin chrȳsolithus, from Ancient Greek χρυσόλιθος (khrusólithos), from χρυσός (khrusós, “gold”) + λίθος (líthos, “rock”). See also Old French crisolite.

• IPA^(key): /kʁi.zɔ.lit/

chrysolite f (plural chrysolites)

1. (mineralogy) chrysolite [from c. 1600]
   1. (obsolete) gems such as chrysoberyl, sapphire, topaz, or tourmaline (any of various gemstones with a golden, and especially greenish) tint [until 19th century]
   2. peridot, prehnite, or apatite

• chrysolithe

• (peridot): chrysolite des volcans
• (prehnite): chrysolite du Cap
• (apatite): chrysolithe ordinaire

• “chrysolite”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

chrȳsolite

1. vocative singular of chrȳsolitus