Min. [ad. L. augītes (Pliny), a. Gr. αὐγίτης, prob. an inferior variety of turquoise, f. αὐγή luster: see -ITE.] One of the aluminous varieties of the mineral PYROXENE, consisting chiefly of silica, magnesia, iron and lime; it has a greenish, brownish or pure black color, and occurs mostly in volcanic rocks.
(Formerly taken in a wider sense as synonymous with pyroxene; while ‘the Augite of Werner included only the black mineral of igneous rocks—the volcanic schorl of earlier authors.’ Dana.)
[1786. Chambers, Cycl. (Rees), Augites … a kind of gem, of a pale green colour.]
1804. Phil. Trans., XCIV. 302. In many of the ancient lavas of Somma, large augites are imbedded.
1807. J. Murray, Chem., III. 574. Augite has also considerable resemblance to the olivin.
1854. F. Bakewell, Geol., 86. The solid volcanic rock lava, if it contain a large proportion of augite, becomes dark-coloured.
