: a bluish-gray cubic mineral with metallic luster consisting of lead sulfide and constituting the principal ore of lead
Examples of galena in a Sentence
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The mining and smelting process involved melting down galena, an ore of lead that produced thousands of ounces of lead during the process.
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Zack Budryk, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
That is the historical consensus where eyeliner was used for multiple purposes and, uh, made from very natural substances, um, mineral substances such as malachite and galena.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Dec. 2023
When the mineral galena, an ore of lead, was found in the cave, miners began excavating in 1857.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
At some point it was also used to house goats, but then the discovery of galena turned the site into a mining operation.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023
Glass vessels, highly decorative pottery, jewelry and evidence of cosmetics -- as the mineral galena, which was crushed and mixed with oil to create makeup -- was also discovered.
—Jeevan Ravindran, CNN, 11 Jan. 2022
The most abundant naturally occurring form of lead is in galena, a lustrous metallic mineral made of lead and silver.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Nov. 2019
Extracting silver from galena involves boiling off the lead.
—The Economist, 19 May 2018
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Zack Budryk, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
That is the historical consensus where eyeliner was used for multiple purposes and, uh, made from very natural substances, um, mineral substances such as malachite and galena.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Dec. 2023
When the mineral galena, an ore of lead, was found in the cave, miners began excavating in 1857.
—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
At some point it was also used to house goats, but then the discovery of galena turned the site into a mining operation.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023
Glass vessels, highly decorative pottery, jewelry and evidence of cosmetics -- as the mineral galena, which was crushed and mixed with oil to create makeup -- was also discovered.
—Jeevan Ravindran, CNN, 11 Jan. 2022
The most abundant naturally occurring form of lead is in galena, a lustrous metallic mineral made of lead and silver.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 18 Nov. 2019
Extracting silver from galena involves boiling off the lead.
—The Economist, 19 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Galena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galena. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
galena
noun
ga·le·na
gə-ˈlē-nə 
: a bluish gray mineral with metallic luster that consists of sulfide of lead and that is the principal ore of lead
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