Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness.
  • noun Any of various natural substances, as.
  • noun An element, such as gold or silver.
  • noun An organic derivative, such as coal or petroleum.
  • noun A substance, such as stone, sand, salt, or coal, that is extracted or obtained from the ground or water and used in economic activities.
  • noun A substance that is neither animal nor vegetable; inorganic matter.
  • noun An inorganic element, such as calcium, iron, potassium, sodium, or zinc, that is essential to the nutrition of humans, animals, and plants.
  • noun An ore.
  • noun Mineral water.
  • noun A soft drink.
  • adjective Of or relating to minerals.
  • adjective Impregnated with minerals.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In mining, ore.
  • noun Any constituent of the earth's crust; more specifically, an inorganic body occurring in nature, homogeneous and having a definite chemical composition which can be expressed by a chemical formula, and further having certain distinguishing physical characters.
  • noun A mine.
  • Having the nature or character of a mineral as defined above; obtained from a mineral or minerals; belonging to the class of minerals; consisting of minerals: as, a mineral substance; the mineral kingdom.
  • Impregnated with minerals or mineral matter: as, mineral waters; a mineral spring.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An inorganic species or substance occurring in nature, having a definite chemical composition and usually a distinct crystalline form. Rocks, except certain glassy igneous forms, are either simple minerals or aggregates of minerals.
  • noun obsolete A mine.
  • noun Anything which is neither animal nor vegetable, as in the most general classification of things into three kingdoms (animal, vegetable, and mineral).
  • adjective Of or pertaining to minerals; consisting of a mineral or of minerals.
  • adjective Impregnated with minerals.
  • adjective (Chem.) inorganic acids, as sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, acids, etc., as distinguished from the organic acids.
  • adjective the name usually given to azurite, when reduced to an impalpable powder for coloring purposes.
  • adjective a candle made of paraffin.
  • adjective an elastic mineral pitch, a variety of bitumen, resembling caoutchouc in elasticity and softness. See Caoutchouc, and Elaterite.
  • adjective (Chem.) See Chameleon mineral, under Chameleon.
  • adjective See under Charcoal.
  • adjective See Mineral wool (below).
  • adjective a green carbonate of copper; malachite.
  • adjective (Nat. Sci.) that one of the three grand divisions of nature which embraces all inorganic objects, as distinguished from plants or animals.
  • adjective See Naphtha, and Petroleum.
  • adjective a pigment made chiefly of some natural mineral substance, as red or yellow iron ocher.
  • adjective See Bitumen, and Asphalt.
  • adjective the right of taking minerals from land.
  • adjective (Chem.) a salt of a mineral acid.
  • adjective a familiar name for hatchettite, from its fatty or spermaceti-like appearance.
  • adjective See under Water.
  • adjective See Ozocerite.
  • adjective a fibrous wool-like material, made by blowing a powerful jet of air or steam through melted slag. It is a poor conductor of heat.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun geology Any naturally occurring inorganic material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.
  • noun Any inorganic material (as distinguished from animal or vegetable).
  • noun Any inorganic element that is essential to nutrition; a dietary mineral.
  • noun UK Mineral water.
  • noun Ireland, South Africa, informal A soft drink, particularly a single serve bottle or can.
  • adjective of, related to, or containing minerals

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition
  • adjective composed of matter other than plant or animal
  • adjective relating to minerals

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin minerāle, from neuter of minerālis, pertaining to mines, from Old French miniere, mine, from mine; see mine.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Medieval Latin, minera ("ore").

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Examples

Comments

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  • (Irish) a drink referred to variously as a soda or pop in the U.S.

    Typically carbonated and non-alcoholic, e.g. a lemonade or an orange soda

    March 21, 2007