pyroxene noun. [pʌɪ'rɒksi:n] E19.
[from PYRO- + Greek xenos stranger, because the mineral group was thought alien to igneous rocks.]
Mineralogy. Orig., any of a large group of silicate minerals containing calcium and one or more other bases, usu. magnesium and iron. Now, any of a group of silicate minerals characterized by a structure of chains of SiO₄ tetrahedra and prismatic cleavage at nearly 90 degrees.

■ pyroxenic [pʌɪrɒk'sɛnɪk] adjective of, pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing pyroxene E19.

■ pyroxenite noun (Geology) an igneous rock consisting chiefly of pyroxenes and olivine M19.

■ pyroxe'nitic adjective of, pertaining to, or of the nature of pyroxenite M20.

■ pyroxenoid [pʌɪ'rɒks(ǝ)nɔɪd] noun any of a small group of triclinic silicates resembling pyroxenes in chemical constitution M20.

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