rhodochrosite

noun

rho·​do·​chro·​site ˌrō-də-ˈkrō-ˌsīt 

: a rose-red mineral consisting essentially of manganese carbonate

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Rhodochrosit, from Greek rhodóchrōs or rhodóchroos "rose-colored" (from rhodo- rhodo- + -chrōs, -chroos, adjectival derivatives of chrṓs "skin, flesh, complexion, color") + German -it -ite entry 1 — more at -chrome

Note: The mineral was named by the German mineralogist Johann Friedrich Ludwig Hausmann (1782-1859) in Handbuch der Mineralogie, 1. Band (Göttingen, 1813), pp. 1081-82.

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above