Halite is the mineral form of common salt. It is composed of sodium chloride (NaCl) and trace impurities which give it colour and flavour. It occurs in crystalline form in beds of sedimentary evaporite minerals deposited when salt waters dried up leaving salt behind.
2. overbite
Answer: dental incisor occlusion
The medical term "overbite" refers to the degree to which upper (maxillary) incisors extend over and slightly in front of lower (mandibular) incisors. The term is used commonly and incorrectly to mean severe malocclusion where the upper front teeth extend excessively over the lower.
3. Muscovite
Answer: resident of Moscow
In addition to being the name of a mineral form of mica, Muscovite means someone who lives in or is from Moscow, Russian. The term used to be broader: it was used to describe all Russians or those Russians from the Grand Duchy of Moscow (Muscovy).
4. satellite
Answer: something that orbits
Satellites are of two sorts: natural satellites such as the Earth's moon Luna, and artificial satellites placed in orbit by rocket ships. The first artificial satellite was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. One 2013 estimate placed the number of artificial satellites orbiting Earth at around 3600, only a thousand of which were still functional, the rest being space junk.
5. Millerite
Answer: Adventist
William Miller (1782-1849) was an American Baptist preacher who erroneously predicted the Second Coming of Jesus Christ based on his interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. His followers were known as Millerites. When his prophecy failed in 1843-1844 ("the Great Disappointment"), his other teachings inspired what would become the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
6. cellulite
Answer: lumpy subcutaneous fat
Cellulite occurs primarily in women as a function of aging. It is a breakdown of the internal structure of fat under the skin which appears as bumpy, dimpled, orange-peel skin. There are many treatments but no widely-acknowledged cure. There is not even medical agreement that cellulite is the product of disease as opposed to an incident of getting older.
7. Kenite
Answer: ancient Middle Eastern tribe
The Kenites were a nomadic clan in the Ancient Middle East. They were reputed to be fine metalworkers. The two best-known Kenites in the Old Testament are Jethro, the priest of Midian, who was Moses' father in law, and Heber the Kenite, whose wife Jael drove a tent peg through the head of the Canaanite army commander Sisera.
8. Luddite
Answer: technology opponent
The original Luddites were 19th century protesters of the mechanization of the textile industry in England. They were not opposed to machines nor to progress as much as they were opposed to losing their jobs to technology. In modern parlance, the term has come to be applied to those who are suspicious of industrialisation and automation, bewildered by technology and annoyed by the computerisation of seemingly everything.
9. stalagmite
Answer: formation on cave floor
A stalagmite is formed by the deposition of materials dissolved or carried by water which build up into a finger-shaped structure on cave floors. The term comes from the Greek stalagmias meaning dropping or trickling. The opposite formation -- a stalactite -- hangs from the ceiling. One way to remember the difference is that there is a "C" in the one from the ceiling and a "G" in the one on the ground.
10. stalactite
Answer: formation on cave ceiling
The term stalactite describes a cave formation created by the deposition of soluble materials which drip from cave ceilings. Indeed, the word stalactite comes from the Greek stalasso meaning "to drip." Some stalactites are created in/on manmade structures such as concrete ceilings and iron bridges. The solubility of limestone in water makes stalactites common in limestone caves.
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The suffix "-ite" often means resident of, or native of, or follower of, or believer in, or product of, or mineral containing. How many of these words ending in "ite" can you sort?
