SPINEL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does spinel mean? 

• SPINEL (noun)
  The noun SPINEL has 1 sense:

1. a hard glassy mineral consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum; occurs in various colors that are used as gemstones

  Familiarity information: SPINEL used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPINEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A hard glassy mineral consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum; occurs in various colors that are used as gemstones

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("spinel" is a kind of...):

mineral (solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition)

Meronyms (substance of "spinel"):

atomic number 12; magnesium; Mg (a light silver-white ductile bivalent metallic element; in pure form it burns with brilliant white flame; occurs naturally only in combination (as in magnesite and dolomite and carnallite and spinel and olivine))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spinel"):

ruby spinel; spinel ruby (a spinel used as a gemstone (usually dark red))

Ceylonite; pleonaste (a dark-colored spinel containing iron)

 Context examples 

Using the crystal clock method, the researchers were able to model how the composition of the spinel crystals changed over time while the magma was being stored.

(‘Crystal clocks’ used to time magma storage before volcanic eruptions, University of Cambridge)

To calculate how long the magma was stored at this boundary area, the researchers used a volcanic mineral known as spinel like a tiny stopwatch or crystal clock.

(‘Crystal clocks’ used to time magma storage before volcanic eruptions, University of Cambridge)