CROCIDOLITE

Etymology

Noun

crocidolite (plural crocidolites)

(mineral) A fibrous, blue-green mineral that is an asbestos-like variety of riebeckite.

Synonyms

• blue asbestos

• Cape blue

Source: Wiktionary

Cro*cid"o*lite (kr-sd"-lt), n. Etym: [Gr. kroky`s nap on cloth + - lite.] (Min.)

Definition: A mineral occuring in silky fibers of a lavender blue color. It is related to hornblende and is essentially a silicate of iron and soda; -- called also blue asbestus. A silicified form, in which the fibers penetrating quartz are changed to oxide of iron, is the yellow brown tiger-eye of the jewelers.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition