Augites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Dark, glassy silicate minerals of the pyroxene group that form in igneous and metamorphic rocks
2. Members of a dark, dense mineral family belonging to the pyroxene group, common in basalt and gabbro
3. Dark-coloured rock-forming silicate minerals, typically black or green, found in volcanic and deep-seated igneous rocks

Etymology: "Augites" is simply the plural of "augite," a dark rock-forming mineral of the pyroxene group. The singular comes from Latin "augītēs," a name the Romans borrowed from the Greek "augitēs," which described a precious stone that shone with a bright, lustrous sheen. The Greek root "auge" meant "brightness" or "radiance," the same root that surfaces in words for light and sparkle. Like many mineral names, "augite" was a classical term pressed into service by later scientists. Its modern sense is quite different from the gleaming gem that the ancient word named: the dark, glossy crystals of augite are a far cry from the bright stone the Greeks had in mind, a reminder that mineralogists often inherited ancient names and attached them to entirely new substances.