Definition of "fluorite" [flu•or•ite]

• A mineral, essentially CaF2, that is often fluorescent in ultraviolet light and occurs in light green, blue, yellow, brown, and colorless forms. Also called fluor, fluorspar. (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.

• "Fluorspar is the trade name for the mineral fluorite, which is composed of calcium fluoride."
• "In the western United States many metalliferous deposits carry large amounts of fluorite, which is treated as a gangue or waste mineral, but which could be profitably extracted if there were local markets."
• "Crystals of calcium fluoride (CaF2), also known as fluorite and fluorspar, are used to make lenses to focus infrared light."