| Word | Use | Description | Example |
|---|
| Botryoidal | shape | like a bunch of grapes | Malachite, Hematite |
| Cleavage plane | breakage | how a mineral breaks | Calcite, Moonstone |
| Conchoidal fracture | breakage | like a shell | Obsidian, Flint |
| Crust | part of earth | surface | nearly all minerals |
| Crystal | shape | natural regular shape | Quartz, Calcite |
| Dendrite | pattern | like a tree | Moss Agate |
| Dichromatic | optical effect | having two colours | Kunzite |
| Double refraction | optical effect | seeing two images through it | Iceland Spar |
| Erosion | deterioration | wearing away | Limestone |
| Formula | chemistry | what elements are in a mineral | Elements |
| Igneous | origin | from fire (volcanic activity) | Obsidian |
| Iridescent | look | like a rainbow | Peacock ore |
| Lustre | look | appearance of surface | Copper, Barite, Jade |
| Mantle | part of earth | below the surface | Olivene |
| Massive | shape | without crystals | Cassiterite |
| Matrix | description | (usually boring) mineral enclosing different mineral | Dioptase |
| Metallic lustre | look | like a metal | Copper |
| Metamorphic | origin | changed from a different mineral | Marble |
| Mineral | description | has a chemical formala, uniform | most of this website! |
| Oily lustre | look | like oil | Jade |
| Rock | description | mixture of minerals | Rocks |
| Sedimentary | origin | created from deposition | Limestone, Sandstone |
| Specific Gravity | weight | how heavy a mineral is | Galena |
| Streak | colour | colour of mineral when scraped | Azurite, Jet |
| Striations | look | lines on surface | Pyrite, Tourmaline |
| Twinning | shape | two crystals joined together | Cerussite, Staurolite |
| Vitreous lustre | look | like glass | Barite |
| Weathering | deterioration | worn away by weather | Sandstone
|