noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The principal ore of aluminium; a clay-like mineral, being a mixture of hydrated oxides and hydroxides. countable, uncountable

   "A thin red stream poured down one of the rises, snaking its way around trees; a river turned red with bauxite?"

2. 2
   a clay-like mineral; the chief ore of aluminum; composed of aluminum oxides and aluminum hydroxides; used as an abrasive and catalyst wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

alabasteralcreteasphaltbruxitecliachitekliachite

Example

More examples

"Gold, bauxite, and diamonds are Guinea's main exports."

Etymology

Derived from the name of Les Baux in France, plus + -ite. The /ks/ in the English pronunciation is from a spelling pronunciation.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.