1. (n.)pyroxene any of a group of silicate minerals whose silica tetrahedra are arranged in single chains, usu. with ions of magnesium, iron, and calcium in between, and that constitute many igneous rocks.
Etymology: (1790–1800; < F; see pyro -, xeno -; orig. conjectured to be a foreign substance when found in igneous rocks)
1. (noun)pyroxene a common mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, with a prismatic angle of nearly 90¡, and also in massive forms which are often laminated. It varies in color from white to dark green and black, and includes many varieties differing in color and composition, as diopside, malacolite, salite, coccolite, augite, etc. They are all silicates of lime and magnesia with sometimes alumina and iron. Pyroxene is an essential constituent of many rocks, especially basic igneous rocks, as basalt, gabbro, etc.
Definitions of pyroxene 
