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One of the microsporic siliceous spicules which occur abundantly in the texture of sponges, and are sometimes found fossil, as in flints.

A mineral of a brown to black color occurring in prismatic crystals, often twinned so as to form groups resembling a cross. It is a silicate of aluminia and iron, and is generally found imbedded in mica schist. Called also granatite, and grenatite.

One of a sect of anchorites in the early church, who lived on the tops of pillars for the exercise of their patience; -- called also pillarist and pillar saint.

A kind of Bohemian earthenware resembling the Wedgwood ware.

A heavy mineral of an iron-black color and submetallic luster. It is essentially a tantalate of iron.

Any one of numerous species of small, conical fossil shells found in Paleozoic rocks. They are supposed to be pteropods.

An instrument used, especially in trigonometrical surveying, for the accurate measurement of horizontal angles, and also usually of vertical angles. It is variously constructed.

A calcareous tufa, in part crystalline, occurring on a large scale as a shore deposit about the Quaternary lake basins of Nevada.

A fluoride of aluminium, calcium, and sodium occurring with the cryolite of Greenland.

A topaz-yellow variety of garnet.

A lover of archery; one devoted to archery.

To express or represent in the characters of another alphabet; as, to transliterate Sanskrit words by means of English letters. A. J. Ellis.

The act or product of transliterating, or of expressing words of a language by means of the characters of another alphabet.

A white variety of amphibole, or hornblende, occurring in long, bladelike crystals, and coarsely fibrous masses.

Consisting of three letters; trigrammic; as, a triliteral root or word. -- n.

Same as Triliterality.

The quality of being triliteral; as, the triliterality of Hebrew roots. W. D. Whitney.

A mineral of a grayish-green or bluish color, consisting of the phosphates of iron, manganese, and lithia.

A mineral of a dark brown color, generally with a fibrous, massive structure. It is a fluophosphate of iron and manganese.

Native iron protosulphide, FeS. It is known only in meteoric irons, and is usually in imbedded nodular masses of a bronze color.