What does antimonite mean?
Antimonite is a noun with two related meanings. In mineralogy it denotes antimony trisulfide (Sb₂S₃), a soft, lead-grey mineral with a metallic lustre that crystallises in long prismatic forms and serves as the principal ore of antimony; modern mineralogists more often call this mineral stibnite, leaving 'antimonite' as an older or alternative name. In historical chemistry, antimonite also referred to salts containing trivalent antimony, standing in contrast to antimonates, which contain pentavalent antimony. The word derives from antimony, whose name traces through medieval Latin and Arabic alchemical tradition to the Greek stimmi. Today antimonite appears chiefly in technical, geological, and historical contexts rather than everyday conversation, but it remains useful for readers of mining literature, old chemical texts, and accounts of ancient cosmetics, since powdered antimony sulfide was famously used as kohl eye makeup in antiquity.
A mineral consisting of antimony trisulfide (Sb₂S₃), the chief ore of antimony; now more commonly called stibnite.
"The assay confirmed the grey crystals were antimonite, rich enough to smelt."
Largely superseded by 'stibnite' in current mineralogical literature.
In older chemistry, a compound or salt of trivalent antimony, corresponding to the antimonite ion.
"The treatise distinguished antimonites from antimonates by the metal's valence."
This sense is chiefly of historical interest, appearing in pre-twentieth-century chemical texts.
The plural applies naturally when referring to multiple specimens of the mineral or multiple such chemical compounds.
"Several antimonites were catalogued from the abandoned mine workings."
Before it had a modern name, this lead-grey mineral was ground up by ancient Egyptians as kohl eyeliner — and it remains the world's main source of antimony today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antimonite
Antimonite derives from antimony, the name of the element, combined with the suffix '-ite' used for minerals and salts. The element's name passed into European languages from medieval Latin 'antimonium', likely via Arabic alchemical usage, with ultimate roots possibly in the Greek 'stimmi' or 'stibi', meaning the sulfide mineral itself. As chemistry developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, '-ite' came to mark salts of elements in their lower oxidation states, giving antimonite its secondary sense alongside antimonate.
How antimonite is actually used
A technical term used mainly in mineralogy, mining history, and historical chemistry. In modern scientific usage 'stibnite' has largely replaced 'antimonite' for the mineral, so the word now reads as somewhat dated or specialist.
Easily confused with antimonite
Stibnite is the modern mineralogical name for the same sulfide mineral that older sources call antimonite.
Antimonic describes antimony in its +5 oxidation state, whereas antimonite refers either to the sulfide mineral or to compounds of trivalent antimony.