Spinel
Origin
French spinelle, perhaps from Latin spina ("a thorn, a prickle"), in allusion to its pointed crystals.
Full definition of spinel
Noun
spinel
(plural spinels)- (mineralogy) Any of several hard minerals of cubic symmetry that are mixed oxides of magnesium and aluminium and are used as gemstones of various colours.
- 2012-03, Lee A. Groat, Gemstones, Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are … . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.)
- (solid state chemistry) Any crystalline material, not necessarily an oxide, that possesses the same crystal structure as this mineral.
- Bleached yarn in making the linen tape called inkle; unwrought inkle.