Library / English Dictionary

ZIRCON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A common mineral occurring in small crystals; chief source of zirconium; used as a refractory when opaque and as a gem when transparent

Synonyms:

zircon; zirconium silicate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("zircon" is a kind of...):

mineral (solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition)

Meronyms (substance of "zircon"):

atomic number 40; zirconium; Zr (a lustrous grey strong metallic element resembling titanium; it is used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber; it occurs in baddeleyite but is obtained chiefly from zircon)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "zircon"):

hyacinth; jacinth (a red transparent variety of zircon used as a gemstone)

jargon; jargoon (a colorless (or pale yellow or smoky) variety of zircon)

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