Definitions

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

  • noun A lustrous colored reflection from certain planes in a mineral grain.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A peculiar, nearly metallic luster, sometimes accompanied by iridescence, observed on some minerals, as hyper-sthene, and due to internal reflection from microscopic inclusions: in some cases this is an effect produced by alteration.

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

  • noun (Min.) The peculiar bronzelike luster observed in certain minerals, as hypersthene, schiller spar, etc. It is due to the presence of minute inclusions in parallel position, and is sometimes of secondary origin.
  • noun (Min.) an altered variety of enstatite, exhibiting, in certain positions, a bronzelike luster.

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

  • noun mineralogy A bronze-like lustre observed in certain minerals, such as hypersthene, due to the presence of minute parallel inclusions.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun German romantic writer (1759-1805)

Etymologies

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

[German, iridescence, from Middle High German schilher, iridescent taffeta, from schilhen, to twinkle, squint, from Old High German scilihen, to squint, wink.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

German Schiller ("play of colours").

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Examples

Comments

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  • from dictionary.com: a bronzelike luster, sometimes with iridescence, occurring on certain minerals. (Origin: 1795–1805; < G: play of colors, glitter)

    July 24, 2008

  • Also see labradorescence.

    October 7, 2011