Feldspar
/ˈfɛld.spɑːr/noun
A common rock-forming mineral group of aluminum silicates containing potassium, sodium, or calcium.
Did you know?The name comes from German miners, who used Feldspat for minerals that occurred in fields and broke into bright, glassy cleavages—proof that even geology can carry the fingerprints of old working language.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
German
Feldspat
“A field-occurring spar or brittle mineral”
18th Century
Swedish
Fältspat
“Field spar, a mineral found in fields”
18th Century
English
feldspar
“A mineral term borrowed from Scandinavian and German scientific usage”
Modern English
English
feldspar
“A major group of rock-forming minerals in igneous and metamorphic rocks”