Elaterite

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A naturally occurring elastic form of bitumen, a soft mineral pitch that can be bent and springs back when pressed
2. A mineral pitch from the asphalt family, valued for its springy, rubber-like quality and found in certain coal and rock deposits
3. A flexible hydrocarbon mineral of the bitumen group, typically dark brown or black, that resembles rubber in its elasticity

Etymology: Elaterite is a mineral named for its springiness: it bends and returns to shape, and the name reaches back to a Greek word meaning "driver" or "that which drives away." The Greek "elatḗr" was applied in ancient times to a driver of a chariot or a driving force, and the mineralogists who coined the term in New Latin as "elatēr" adopted that sense of something that pushes or drives back. The "-ite" ending, used across mineralogy to name minerals, completes the coinage. The naming makes sense once you see what the mineral does. Elaterite is a form of bitumen, a tarry hydrocarbon, but unlike most hard, brittle bitumens it can be bent and then springs back, a property that gave the name its emphasis on elasticity. The Greek root's sense of driving or thrusting back fits that resilience, so the word describes a physical behaviour rather than a place or a person.