Niccolite
/ˈnɪkəlaɪt/noun
A nickel arsenide mineral, typically found as a reddish or coppery ore.
Did you know?Niccolite is named from German Kupfernickel, a miner’s term meaning roughly “copper demon” or “Old Nick’s copper,” because the ore looked coppery but yielded no copper.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient/Medieval German mining folklore
German
Kupfernickel
“A deceptive copper-colored ore that did not produce copper; associated with a mischievous demon or goblin”
1754
German
Nickel
“A new metal name coined by Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt from the deceptive ore”
Late 18th Century
French
niccolite
“Mineralogical term adopted for nickel arsenide ore”
19th Century
English
niccolite
“Scientific mineral name used in mineralogy for nickel arsenide”
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