rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: Les Baux
French

Les Baux

place where the mineral was first found

1 / 1
A small cluster of earthy reddish-brown bauxite specimens, including a broken face revealing rounded pea-like mineral grains, beside a single plain silvery aluminum ingot to connect the ore with the metal obtained from it.
noun

bauxite

BAWK-site/ˈbɔːksaɪt/

The main ore from which aluminum is extracted.

Etymology
bauxFrenchplace where the mineral was first found
+iteFrenchmineral-name ending

Bauxite names the aluminum-bearing mineral after Les Baux, where it was first found. The place name itself means “the precipices,” giving this ore a geographical rather than chemical name.

Full entry

Related word entries