Vesuvian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the volcano Mount Vesuvius in Italy or the surrounding region ; a silicate mineral also known as idocrase ; an early kind of friction match once made in Britain
2. Of or connected with the Italian volcano Vesuvius and its area ; a green or brown mineral of the silicate group, also called idocrase ; a historical friction match that ignited when struck
3. Pertaining to the Italian volcano Vesuvius or its region ; the name for a calcium silicate mineral known as idocrase ; a nineteenth century match that lit by friction on a rough surface

Etymology: Vesuvian is a straightforward formation: the Latin name of the volcano, Vesuvius, with the English suffix "-an" added, the same ending that turns a place into a word for its people or its relations, as in "Roman" or "Elizabethan." The result is a word meaning simply "relating to Vesuvius," which is how it is used in both its adjective and noun senses. The most common use is in geology and mineralogy, where "vesuvian" names a silicate mineral, also called idocrase, first found in lavas on the slopes of the volcano. The mineral's name, in other words, carries the volcano's name into the rock collections of museums and the textbooks of mineral science.