MINERAL

Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring substance that is solid and stable at room temperature, representable by a chemical formula, usually abiogenic, and has an ordered atomic structure. It is different from a rock, which can be an aggregate of minerals or non-minerals and does not have a specific chemical composition. The exact definition of a mineral is under debate, especially with respect to the requirement a valid species be abiogenic, and to a lesser extent with regards to it having an ordered atomic structure. The study of minerals is called mineralogy.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Mineral
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

mineral

Noun

  1. Any naturally occurring inorganic material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.
  2. Any inorganic material (as distinguished from animal or vegetable).
  3. Any inorganic element that is essential to nutrition; a dietary mineral.
  4. Mineral water.
  5. A soft drink, particularly a single serve bottle or can.
  6. A mine.

Adjective

mineral

  1. of, related to, or containing minerals


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: mineral
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!