# mineral

Pronunciation: US say "MIN-ur-uhl" /ˈmɪn.ɚ.əl/; UK say "MIN-uh-ruhl" /ˈmɪn.ə.ɹəl/

## Noun

1. A naturally occurring material, usually inorganic, with a fairly definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties.
   - Simple: A natural solid material, like salt or quartz, that forms in the earth.
   - _Geologists identified the mineral by its hardness and crystal structure._
   - _Granite contains several different minerals, including quartz and feldspar._
2. Any inorganic element, such as calcium, iron, or zinc, that the body needs for normal nutrition and health.
   - Simple: A natural substance, such as iron or calcium, that your body needs to stay healthy.
   - _Nutrition labels list the vitamins and minerals in each serving._
   - _Calcium is the mineral most people associate with strong bones and teeth._
4. Any inorganic material, as distinguished from material of animal or vegetable origin.
   - Simple: Any material that does not come from a plant or an animal, such as rock or metal.
   - _Glass counts as mineral, since it is made from sand rather than living matter._
   - _Customs officers recorded whether each shipment was of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin._
5. Water that naturally contains dissolved minerals and salts; in other words, mineral water. *(British)*
   - Simple: Water with natural minerals in it, often sold in bottles.
   - _The restaurant offered tap water or a bottle of sparkling mineral._
   - _He filled his glass with chilled mineral from the spring at the hotel._
6. A soft drink, especially one sold as a single-serving bottle or can. *(colloquial, Ireland, Nigeria, South Africa)*
   - Simple: A soda or other soft drink, often in a small bottle or can.
   - _The cooler by the register was stocked with minerals in every flavor._
   - _She handed each child a mineral and a straw before the movie started._

## Adjective

3. Connected with minerals, or containing minerals as part of its makeup.
   - Simple: Containing minerals or made from them, not from plants or animals.
   - _The survey mapped the region's mineral wealth in detail._
   - _A faint mineral smell rose from the wet stones after the rain._

## Noun

7. A mine, or a deposit of ore or other valuable material in the ground. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A mine, or a place in the ground that is full of valuable rocks or metals.
   - _The surveyors reported a rich mineral of copper beneath the western hills._
   - _The company sank new shafts into the mineral before the winter rains came._
8. A poisonous or otherwise dangerous substance, especially a harmful drug or potion. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A poison, or any substance that could harm or kill someone.

## Origin

From Middle English mineral, borrowed from Old French mineral, from Medieval Latin minerale, from minera ('ore'), probably ultimately from Latin mina ('ore, mine').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mineral (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).