zinc sparnoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zinc spar mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zinc spar. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun zinc spar?
| 1780 | 0.0052 |
| 1790 | 0.0042 |
| 1800 | 0.0036 |
| 1810 | 0.0031 |
| 1820 | 0.0023 |
| 1830 | 0.0007 |
| 1840 | 0.0006 |
| 1850 | 0.0005 |
| 1860 | 0.0005 |
| 1870 | 0.001 |
| 1880 | 0.0012 |
| 1890 | 0.0013 |
| 1900 | 0.0014 |
| 1910 | 0.0014 |
| 1920 | 0.0014 |
| 1930 | 0.0014 |
| 1940 | 0.0009 |
| 1950 | 0.0008 |
| 1960 | 0.0005 |
| 1970 | 0.0004 |
| 1980 | 0.0003 |
| 1990 | 0.0003 |
| 2000 | 0.0003 |
| 2010 | 0.0002 |
Where does the noun zinc spar come from?
Earliest known use
late 1700s
The earliest known use of the noun zinc spar is in the late 1700s.
OED's only evidence for zinc spar is from 1796, in the writing of Richard Kirwan, chemist and mineralogist.
Nearby entries
- zincograph, v.1865–
- zincographer, n.1839–
- zincographic, adj.1850–
- zincography, n.1834–
- zincoid, n.1842–
- zinc orange, n.1918–
- zincous, adj.1842–
- zinc-plate, n.1823–
- zinc-powder, n.1881–
- zinc roof, n.1883–
- zinc spar, n.1796–
- zinc-sponge, n.1902–
- zinc sulphide, n.1851–
- zinc white, n.1847–
- zincy, adj.1757–
- zinc yellow, n.1847–
- zindabad, int. & n.1930–
- zindan, n.1844–
- Zindikite, n.1694–
- Zindiq, n.1667–
- zine, n.1946–
Meaning & use
- 1796–An old name for native zinc carbonate (= calamine n., smithsonite n. 2).
- 1796
Zinc Spar.
R. Kirwan, Elements of Mineralogy (ed. 2) vol. II. 236
- calaminaris1577–Earlier name of calamine, n.
- calamine1601–An ore of zinc: originally applied, like medieval Latin lapis calaminaris, and the cadmia of Pliny, to both the carbonate ZnCO3, and the hydrous…
- calmy1658? Calamine.
- calaminarya1661–1860= calaminaris, adj. & n.
- mock ore1681–A substance resembling a useful ore; spec. sphalerite (zinc blende).
- blende1683–Sulfide of zinc occurring as a native crystalline mineral.
- lapis calaminaris1696–Calamine.
- mock-leada1728–Sphalerite (zinc blende).
- black jack1728–Mining. The mineral sphalerite or blende.
- cadmia1753‘The ancient name of calamine’ (Ure Dict. Arts I. 569); also applied to a sublimate consisting of oxide of zinc (tutty), and to an ore of cobalt.
- cadmy1756= cadmia, n.
- calamy1756
- calmey1756= calamine, n.
- mock jack1758= mock-lead, n.
- calamine stone1761attributive, as in calamine stone n. = lapis calaminaris, n.
- red zinc ore1781–A red ore of zinc; spec. = zincite, n.
- zinc spar1796–An old name for native zinc carbonate (= calamine, n., smithsonite, n. 2).
- zinc-blende1842–Native zinc sulphide = blende, n.
- smithsonite1849–A mineral consisting of zinc carbonate, typically occurring as colourless prisms and crystalline aggregates.
- zincite1854–A native oxide of zinc, of a deep-red or orange-yellow colour, found in New Jersey; red oxide of zinc, red zinc ore.
- adamite1866–A zinc mineral occurring as yellow, green, or colourless crystals or crystal aggregates.
- adamine1869–= adamite, n.²
- liver-blende1912–= zinc-blende, n.
- calaminaris1577–Earlier name of calamine, n.
- calamine1601–An ore of zinc: originally applied, like medieval Latin lapis calaminaris, and the cadmia of Pliny, to both the carbonate ZnCO3, and the hydrous…
- calmy1658? Calamine.
- lapis calaminaris1696–Calamine.
- ostracitis1706–1892A kind of calamine (impure zinc ore) found as an incrustation in copper furnaces.
- cadmia1753‘The ancient name of calamine’ (Ure Dict. Arts I. 569); also applied to a sublimate consisting of oxide of zinc (tutty), and to an ore of cobalt.
- cadmy1756= cadmia, n.
- calamy1756
- calmey1756= calamine, n.
- calamine stone1761attributive, as in calamine stone n. = lapis calaminaris, n.
- zinc spar1796–An old name for native zinc carbonate (= calamine, n., smithsonite, n. 2).
- smithsonite1849–A mineral consisting of zinc carbonate, typically occurring as colourless prisms and crystalline aggregates.
Frequency
zinc spar typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zinc spar is in frequency band 1, which contains words occurring fewer than 0.001 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zinc spar, n., 1780–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1780 | 0.0052 |
| 1790 | 0.0042 |
| 1800 | 0.0036 |
| 1810 | 0.0031 |
| 1820 | 0.0023 |
| 1830 | 0.0007 |
| 1840 | 0.0006 |
| 1850 | 0.0005 |
| 1860 | 0.0005 |
| 1870 | 0.001 |
| 1880 | 0.0012 |
| 1890 | 0.0013 |
| 1900 | 0.0014 |
| 1910 | 0.0014 |
| 1920 | 0.0014 |
| 1930 | 0.0014 |
| 1940 | 0.0009 |
| 1950 | 0.0008 |
| 1960 | 0.0005 |
| 1970 | 0.0004 |
| 1980 | 0.0003 |
| 1990 | 0.0003 |
| 2000 | 0.0003 |
| 2010 | 0.0002 |