aluminum oxynitride

noun

aluminum oxy·​ni·​tride -ˌäk-si-ˈnī-ˌtrīd 

: a transparent ceramic compound AlON that exhibits a high degree of toughness

One promising solution is to replace the glass with significantly cheaper and more effective aluminum oxynitride … a hard, sapphirelike material developed by industry, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, May 2006

Word History

Etymology

oxy- + nitride entry 1

First Known Use

1978, in the meaning defined above

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