Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A mineral with the same composition as pyrite, FeS2, but differing in crystal structure.
  • noun An ornament of pyrite, polished steel, or white metal.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun As used by the early mineralogists, the crystallized forms of iron pyrites, including more particularly the isometric species now called pyrite.
  • noun In recent use, the orthorhombic iron pyrites, or iron disulphid, FeS2.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Min.) A sulphide of iron resembling pyrite or common iron pyrites in composition, but differing in form; white iron pyrites.
  • noun [Obs.] tin.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun geology A pale mineral, FeS2. Marcasite is physically and crystallographically distinct from pyrite, although the two have the same chemical composition.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin marcasīta, from Arabic marqašīṯā, from Aramaic marqəšitā, from Akkadian marḫašu, from marḫaši, ancient region in the eastern Iranian plateau.]

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Examples

  • Scarce a single advertisement of wares of milliner or mantua maker can he found in eighteenth century newspapers that does not contain in some form of spelling the word marcasite, and scarce

    Diary of Anna Green Winslow A Boston School Girl of 1771 Anna Green Winslow 1881

  • It's difficult to see in these pictures which were taken with the camera in my Blackberry, but they're silver, marcasite, and not-real diamonds.

    Archive 2010-05-01 Theodora Goss 2010

  • It's difficult to see in these pictures which were taken with the camera in my Blackberry, but they're silver, marcasite, and not-real diamonds.

    Wiscon Dress Theodora Goss 2010

  • To balance the tomboy elements in her look, she highlights her femininity and her rocker edge through subtle sparkle by implementing marcasite rings and brooches and clothing with stud embellishments into her wardrobe.

    meet the concept intern! | Free People Clothing Boutique Blog 2010

  • To balance the tomboy elements in her look, she highlights her femininity and her rocker edge through subtle sparkle by implementing marcasite rings and brooches and clothing with stud embellishments into her wardrobe.

    meet the concept intern! | Free People Clothing Boutique Blog 2010

  • Nineteen-twenties marcasite batted its steel eyelashes in the clear sunlight.

    Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009

  • Nineteen-twenties marcasite batted its steel eyelashes in the clear sunlight.

    Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009

  • Nineteen-twenties marcasite batted its steel eyelashes in the clear sunlight.

    Dancing with Werewolves Carole Nelson Douglas 2009

  • Rampant Victoriana tends to be a bit too fussy for me, but there were some lovely bits of jet and marcasite jewelry that called my name.

    Runaway, Jersey-style suricattus 2004

  • January 10th, 2006 at 12:14 am jewelry marcasite says:

    Think Progress » More Fact Checking FactCheck 2005

Comments

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  • The mineral marcasite, sometimes called white iron pyrite, is iron sulfide (FeS2). Marcasite is often mistakenly confused with pyrite, but marcasite is lighter and more brittle. Specimens of marcasite often crumble and break up due to the unstable crystal structure, and it is this crystal structure that is the main difference between marcasite and pyrite. Though marcasite has the same chemical formula as pyrite, it crystallizes in a different crystal system, thereby making it a separate mineral.

    Marcasite can be formed as both a primary or a secondary mineral.

    As a primary mineral it forms nodules, concretions and crystals in a variety of sedimentary rock, such as at Dover, Kent, England, where it forms as sharp individual crystals and crystal groups, and nodules in chalk.

    _Wikipedia

    February 14, 2008