Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “-lite” come from?

-lite (English) comes from Ancient Greek λίθος — a stone; stone as a substance.

-lite (English): used to form names of rocks and minerals

Definitions

  1. used to form names of rocks and minerals

Ancestry of “-lite”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekλίθοςa stone; stone as a substance

Words derived from “-lite”

  • ophiolite
  • oolitic
  • oolite
  • cryolite
  • saprolite
  • ophiolitic
  • aerolite
  • silicalite
  • actinolite
  • phonolite
  • staurolite
  • graptolite
  • melilite
  • ichthyolite
  • coprolite
  • lepidolite
  • imogolite
  • iolite
  • sepiolite
  • pisolitic
  • lherzolite
  • natrolite
  • saprolitic
  • fibrolite
Every word from Ancient Greek λίθος →