mineral
/ˈmɪn.ə.ɹəl/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms minerals minerall
- noun (geology) Any naturally occurring solid material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties; especially, an inorganic and crystalline one.
- noun Any inorganic material (as distinguished from animal or vegetable).
- noun (nutrition) Any inorganic element that is essential to nutrition.
- noun (UK) Mineral water.
- noun (Ireland, South Africa, Nigeria, informal) A soft drink, particularly a single serve bottle or can.
- noun (obsolete) A mine or mineral deposit.
- noun (obsolete) A poisonous or dangerous substance.
- adjective of, related to, or containing minerals
- proper noun A census-designated place in Tehama County, California.
- proper noun A town in Louisa County, Virginia.
Etymology
From Middle English mineral, borrowed from Old French mineral, (French minéral), from Medieval Latin minerale, from minera (“ore”), probably ultimately derived from Latin mina (“ore, mine”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An inorganic species or substance occurring in nature, having a definite chemical composition and usually a distinct crystalline form. Rocks, except certain glassy igneous forms, are either simple minerals or aggregates of minerals.
- noun A mine. [Obs.] Shak.
- adjective Of or pertaining to minerals; consisting of a mineral or of minerals; as, a mineral substance.
- adjective Impregnated with minerals; as, mineral waters. Mineral acids (Chem.), inorganic acids, as sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, acids, etc., as distinguished from the organic acids.
Etymology [F. minéral, LL. minerale, fr. minera mine. See Mine, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mineral”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details