Main Entry:

trip·o·li

Pronunciation:

\ˈtri-pə-lē\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, from Tripoli, region of Africa

Date:

circa 1601

1 : an earth consisting of very friable soft schistose deposits of silica and including diatomite and kieselguhr 2 : an earth consisting of friable dustlike silica not of diatomaceous origin