Definition

1. Noun:
   • A mineral: A specific type of amphibole mineral, composed of calcium magnesium silicate, which crystallizes in a monoclinic system.
   • A source of jade: A material that is one of the two main sources of jade, generally considered less commercially valuable than jadeite.
   • A historical remedy: A substance once believed in historical or folk medicine to have curative properties for kidney disorders, which is the origin of its name (from Greek nephros, meaning kidney).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The carving was made from a beautiful piece of green nephrite.
  • Nephrite and jadeite are both classified as jade, but they are distinct minerals.
  • Ancient cultures valued nephrite for its toughness and often used it for tools and ornaments.

Advanced Usage

• In mineralogy/geology: Used to specify the chemical and crystalline form of this amphibole.
  • The sample's specific gravity and fibrous structure confirmed it was nephrite, not jadeite.
• In art history/archaeology: Used to describe artifacts and their material composition.
  • The museum's collection includes several Neolithic axes crafted from nephrite.

Variants and Related Words

• Jade (n): The general term for the ornamental stones that include both nephrite and jadeite.
• Amphibole (n): The group of silicate minerals to which nephrite belongs.
• Jadeite (n): The other, typically more valued, mineral source of jade, a pyroxene.

Synonyms

• Greenstone (in certain archaeological and regional contexts, e.g., New Zealand ).
• Calcium magnesium silicate (chemical description).

Related Phrases/Idioms

(This word is a specific scientific/mineralogical term and does not commonly feature in idiomatic expressions or phrasal verbs.)

Noun

1. an amphibole mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade that is less valuable than from jadeite; once believed to cure kidney disorders