anthophyllite

noun

an·​tho·​phyl·​lite ˌan(t)-thə-ˈfi-ˌlīt  (ˌ)an-ˈthä-fə- 

: an orthorhombic mineral of the amphibole group that is essentially a silicate of magnesium and iron and is usually lamellar or fibrous and when fibrous is one of the less common forms of asbestos

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Anthophyllit, from New Latin anthophyllum "clove" (from Greek antho- antho- + phýllon "leaf") + German -it -ite entry 1 — more at phyll-

Note: The term was introduced by the German-Danish surgeon and biologist Christian Friedrich Schumacher (1757-1830) in Versuch eines Verzeichnisses der in den Dänisch-Nordischen Staaten sich finden einfachen Mineralien (Copenhagen, 1801), p. 96. Schumacher so named the mineral because its color suggested that of the clove pink (carnation) flower ("Ist von nelkenbrauner Farbe").

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above