nephrite

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈnɛfraɪt/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(nef′rīt)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
neph•rite  (nef′rīt),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Mineralogya compact or fibrous variety of actinolite, varying from whitish to dark green: a form of jade.
  • German Nephrit. See nephr-, -ite1
  • 1785–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nephrite / ˈnɛfraɪt/
  1. a tough fibrous amphibole mineral: a variety of jade consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. Formula: Ca2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2
    Also called: kidney stone
Etymology: 18th Century: via German Nephrit from Greek nephrós kidney, so called because it was thought to be beneficial in kidney disorders
'nephrite' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-ite - jade - kidney stone

Forum discussions with the word(s) "nephrite" in the title:


Look up "nephrite" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "nephrite" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!

Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.