noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A feldspathoid mineral of silica-poor igneous, plutonic and volcanic rocks. Chemically, nepheline is a plagioclase feldspar with insufficient silica to satisfy the chemical bonds. Because of the unfilled bonds, nepheline weathers rapidly and can only be seen as inclusions in freshly broken rock. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   a whitish mineral consisting of sodium aluminum silicate or potassium aluminum silicate in crystalline form; used in the manufacture of ceramics and enamels wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

nephelitenephelite

Etymology

From Ancient Greek νεφέλη (nephélē, “cloud”), because crystals become cloudy when exposed to acid, + -ine.

Related phrases

nepheline syenite

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