taconite

noun

tac·​o·​nite ˈta-kə-ˌnīt How to pronounce taconite (audio)
: a flintlike rock high enough in iron content to constitute a low-grade iron ore

Examples of taconite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The merchant ship was carrying taconite, a low-grade iron ore, the Coast Guard said on X. Half of the ship’s 22-person crew was removed from the vessel after the incident, according to a news release. Fabiana Chaparro, CNN, 9 June 2024 The tariffs did help the U.S. taconite industry, concentrated in Minnesota’s Iron Range. Jim Spencer, Star Tribune, 9 Oct. 2020 Minnesota taconite pellets usually had to travel less than 100 miles by rail before loading onto the bulk carriers that provide dirt-cheap transportation. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 22 Nov. 2019 State revenue generated from taconite mining accounts for approximately 80 percent of the school trust. Letter Writers, Twin Cities, 2 Oct. 2019 Bob Vlaisavljevich, the mayor of this small town in the north-eastern corner of the state, lauds taconite and other minerals as the spine of the local economy. The Economist, 22 Aug. 2019 Electric arc furnaces are becoming the new normal, while the blast-furnace steel mills that the Minnesota taconite industry has traditionally supplied are aging. Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 7 Aug. 2019 Then again, the mine that Forsman works in is a taconite mine, not the type of copper-nickel mine that environmentalists decry as a threat to this watershed. Reid Forgrave, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2017 Essar’s Nashwauk facility was supposed to be employing 350 people by 2014, producing some 7 million tons of taconite iron ore pellets each year. John Myers, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'taconite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Taconic Range

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taconite was in 1892

Dictionary Entries Near taconite

Cite this Entry

“Taconite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taconite. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

taconite

noun
tac·​o·​nite ˈtak-ə-ˌnīt How to pronounce taconite (audio)
: a flinty rock high enough in iron content to be used as a low-grade iron ore

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