Meaning
A trichroic violet-blue variety of the mineral zoisite mined in Tanzania, used as a gemstone.
Etymology
Origin: Unknown
From Tanzania + -ite (suffix forming nouns denoting minerals or rocks), coined by Henry B. Platt, a vice president of the American jeweler Tiffany & Co. when it first marketed the gem in 1968: see the October 3, 1968, quotation.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
blue zoisitepleochroic zoisitevanadium zoisite
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2021, 2022.