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meerschaum

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meerschaum

Fibrous hydrated magnesium silicate that is opaque and white, gray, or cream in colour. Also called sepiolite, meerschaum (German: “sea foam”) is easily fashioned, and has been used in jewelry and for tobacco pipes. It is soft when first extracted, but it hardens on drying. Meerschaum is an alteration product of serpentine. The most important commercial deposit is the plain of Eskisehir, Tur., where it is found as irregular nodules in alluvial deposits; it also occurs in France, Greece, the Czech Republic, the U.S., and elsewhere.

meerschaum
1. a white, yellowish, or pink compact earthy mineral consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate: used to make tobacco pipes and as a building stone. Formula: Mg2Si3O6(OH)4
2. a tobacco pipe having a bowl made of this mineral
meerschaum [′mir‚shȯm]
(mineralogy)
sepiolite


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Now I think of it, I haven't seen the old meerschaum since he came home.
Eight Cousins by Alcott, Louisa May View in context
On a seat against the railing was a young woman dressed suitable for red automobiles, with hair the colour of an unsmoked meerschaum.
The Four Million by Henry, O. View in context
He took a cigarette out of a dainty box, stuck it into a meerschaum holder which he carried in a morocco case, and reached for my cigar.
A Tramp Abroad by Twain, Mark View in context
 
 
 
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