Hyalite
/ˈhaɪəlaɪt/noun
A clear, glassy variety of opal, usually occurring as colorless botryoidal coatings or masses.
Did you know?Ancient Greek ὕαλος referred to glass, and mineralogists later reused that same root for transparent biological tissues such as the hyaline body of the eye.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὕαλος (hýalos)
“Glass; a transparent or glasslike substance”
Late Antiquity
Greek
ὑάλινος (hyalinos)
“Made of glass; glassy or transparent”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
hyalus
“Glass, used as a classical scientific root”
Early 19th Century
French
hyalite
“A glassy or transparent variety of opal”
19th Century–Modern English
English
hyalite
“A clear, glassy form of opal”
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