Stannite
/ˈstæn.aɪt/noun
A gray to black copper-iron-tin sulfide mineral with the formula Cu₂FeSnS₄.
Did you know?Stannite belongs to a family of minerals whose names preserve Latin stannum, the source of the chemical symbol Sn for tin.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
stannum
“Tin, or an alloy containing tin”
Late Latin
Latin
stannites
“A tin-bearing substance or mineral-related formation, built from stannum”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
stannum
“The standardized Latin name used for the chemical element tin”
19th Century
Mineralogical English
stannite
“A mineral name formed from stannum with the mineral suffix -ite”
Modern English
English
stannite
“A copper-iron-tin sulfide mineral, Cu₂FeSnS₄”