Go to MSN Homeencarta®
HomeEncyclopediaDictionariesWorld AtlasStudy CentreQuizzesMore
Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Click to move up the list of words
pyrophosphate
pyrophosphoric acid
pyrophotometer
pyrophyllite
pyrosis
pyrostat
pyrotechnic
pyrotechnics
pyroxene
pyroxenite
pyroxylin
pyrrhic
Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhonism
pyrrhotite
pyrrole
pyruvate
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "pyroxene" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

pyroxene
pyroxene [ pī rók seen ]


noun 
Definition:
 
silicate mineral: a mineral belonging to a group of dark green, brown, or black silicate minerals containing varying amounts of calcium, aluminium, iron, magnesium, and sodium. Source: igneous and metamorphic rocks.
[Early 19th century. < French pyroxène< Greek pur 'fire' + xenos 'stranger'; because originally thought to be a foreign substance in igneous rock]

pyroxenic [ p rok sénnik ] adjective
Encarta® World English Dictionary [World English Edition] © & (P)2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
• Great Writing By Great Writers
• The Latest Top 10 Lists
• Encarta's Famous Quizzes
Also on MSN
• Entertainment on MSN: Top Movies
• MSN Careers: Job Hunting Made Easy
• Today's News on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft