Strontites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An older chemical term for a compound containing the metal strontium, particularly the oxide once given this name
2. A substance formed from strontium, historically used as a label for the oxide of that alkaline earth metal
3. A strontium-based compound, a term from earlier chemistry for oxides or salts of the element strontium

Etymology: Strontites is the plural of strontite, a name once given to strontium compounds. Strontium itself is named after Strontian, a village in the Scottish Highlands where the mineral was found in lead mines, and the mineral took its name from that place. The chain runs from village to mineral to metal, and the element's name is the only trace of the village left in the periodic table. Strontite, the older name, followed the same pattern, so the plural simply counts several such compounds.