Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ZE'O-LITE, n. [Gr. ζεω, to boil, to foam, and λιθος, stone.]

A mineral, so named by Cronstedt from its intumescence before the blowpipe. Many substances have been confounded under this name, particularly such as are fusible by the blowpipe without addition, and exhibit a phosphoric brilliancy at the moment of fusion. Haüy makes two species of zeolite, which he calls mesotype and stilbite. Werner makes four subspecies, which he calls mealy zeolite, fibrous zeolite, radiated zeolite, and foliated zeolite. He makes zeolite a generic name, and Jameson, who adopts this theory, arranges in this family prehnite, zeolite, apophyllite, cubicite, called by Haüy analcime, chabasite, cross-stone, laumonite, dipyre, natrolite, and wavellite. – Cyc. Zeolite commonly occurs in a four-sided prism, terminated by a four-sided pyramid; often in small fibrous masses. – Cleaveland.