Earth & SkyGreek → English
Leucite
/ˈluːsaɪt/noun
A white potassium aluminium silicate that forms trapezohedral crystals in potassium-rich lavas.
The Greek roots
λευκός
leukós
white, bright
Literally: “the white one”
Follow a root:λευκός3 words
The story of the word
Werner named it in the 1790s for the dull whitish glassy look; miners had been calling it white garnet, which describes the crystal shape rather than the chemistry. Vesuvius supplies the classic specimens, embedded in dark lava like pale dice. λευκός runs through medicine as well, in leucocyte and leukaemia, both named for the colour of blood cells rather than of stone.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → German → English
- First recorded
- late 18th century
Same family
leukaemialeucocyteleucine
In a sentence
The lava is studded with leucite crystals the size of peas.
Leucite only forms where the melt is rich in potassium and short of silica.