Definition of "diatomite" []

• A fine, powdered diatomaceous earth used in industry as a filler, a filtering agent, an absorbent, a clarifier, and an insulator. Also called kieselguhr. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "These materials (such as diatomite, pumice, expanded clay and shale, etc.) may be used in place of perlite without losing any of the benefits that perlite provides."
• "Sediment from the years when the drill site was covered by open ocean are made of diatoms, tiny marine plankton ( "diatomite")."
• "Some lightweight mineral and rock materials, such as vermiculite, diatomite and perlite are similar to micas and can be used in place of mica."