sunstone

English

A sunstone

Etymology

sun +‎ stone. Compare Icelandic sólarsteinn.

Noun

sunstone (countable and uncountable, plural sunstones)

1. (mineralogy) A translucent form of feldspar having flakes of hematite, used as an ornamental stone.
2. A stone, possibly Icelandic spar, said in late medieval sources to have been used by navigators in the Viking Age and later to find the location of the sun in an overcast sky, possibly via polatization of light.

Synonyms

• heliolite

Translations

a translucent form of feldspar with flakes of hematite

• Greek:

  Ancient: κεραύνιος m (keraúnios)

navigation aid

• German: Sonnenstein

See also

• aventurine, aventurin, avanturine
• moonstone

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Sunstone”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “sunstone”, in Mindat.org‎^[1], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.

Anagrams

• neustons