Vermiculite is an hydrous phyllosilicate which, when heated to high temperatures, expands and becomes a product which, when mixed with peat, is an ideal "soil" for sprouting seeds, growing small plants and mixing with clay soils to aerate them. It is also useful as insulation, as fire proofing, in the manufacture of brake linings, and numerous other applications. Contamination of deposits with asbestos has led to many health warnings and lawsuits.
2. Erudite
Answer: Enlightened through education
A scholar who merely learns is educated but not necessarily wise. A scholar who digests and meditates upon her knowledge, bringing out a depth of understanding is erudite. The word comes from Latin via the Middle English where it meant to rub off all rudeness in someone being trained. The erudite person is civil and cultivated. Michel de Montaigne, a humanist essayist in the French Renaissance, is often cited as a truly erudite man because of the breadth of this reading/learning and his ability to bring so much diverse knowledge to bear on a single question.
3. Shi'ite
Answer: One sort of Muslim
The Shi'ites are the smaller of the two major branches of Islam, the Sunnis being the other. In terms of historical origin, Shi'itre hold that the Prophet Mohammad chose Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. The Sunnis hold that the Prophet appointed no one at all and that Abu Bakr was the first Caliph. The resulting battle has been going on since the 7th Century. There are large concentrations of Shi'ite Muslims in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.
4. Quartzite
Answer: Metamorphic rock
Quartzite is formed when quartz sandstone is compressed and heated until it changes into a much harder rock which is resistant to weathering and is found in abundance. It is useful in making the beds for railroad tracks and creating lovely countertops. Quartzite is found around the world and is mined widely.
5. Anchorite
Answer: Religious solitary
Among the varieties of religious life, an anchorite is a person who withdraws from the world and from community to live a solitary life of prayer, self-deprivation and meditation. The term, used since the 15th century, derives from the Ancient Greek meaning to retire from the world. The 12th through the 16th centuries saw the most anchorites; there are still some in Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican practice. One of the best known was Julian of Norwich (1342-1416) whose cell was attached to the local church there. German bombs destroyed it during the Second World War.
6. Trilobite
Answer: Extinct marine arthropod
Some 17,000 species of trilobites remain in the fossil record to attest to the arthropod's wide distribution in the seas of the world 521-million BC to 252-million BC. The distinctive exoskeleton of the trilobite lends to is prominence among fossils. The name derives from a Greek term meaning three lobes, which are apparent in most fossils.
7. Hutterite
Answer: Pacifist European Anabaptist
The Hutterites (named for early leader Jakob Hutter) are radical Anabaptist, comparable to the Amish and Mennonites. From the 16th century, their pacifism has prompted persecution and migration to escape abuse. Most of the "colonies" are in Western Canada and the upper Great Plains states of the US. Hutterite clothing tends to be homemade, black and plain. Men typically wear suspenders; women typically wear head scarves. Children's clothing may be brightly coloured.
8. Semite
Answer: Jews, Arabs and related others
Semites are not so much a race as a language group. Hebrews, Arabs, Akkadians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Canaanites, Ethiopians and Aramaeans all speak (or spoke) languages in the Semitic-language group. These cultures are (or were) clustered in southwestern Asia. More recently, the term "semitic" has been used to refer to Jews alone. The origin of the word is from Shem -- the eldest son of Noah in the Bible -- and describes his descendants.
9. Epizoite
Answer: Plant or animal attached to another
Parasites are animals or plants which attach to another to the latter's detriment. Commensals are animals or plants in which the same arrangement harms neither. The animal or plant which attaches itself to the other is an epizoite. It uses the attachment for its own protection or as a means of moving from place to place. An often-cited example is a barnacle, oyster or brittle star attached to the shell of a sea turtle.
10. Mesquite
Answer: American tree
There are numerous varieties of mesquite, all common to the southern United States (especially Texas) and Northern Mexico. The English word mesquite is derived from the Spanish mezquite which was derived from the Nahuatl mizquitl. Mesquite is leguminous and is therefor valuable as it provides fixed nitrogen in desert soil.
It is used to make high-end furnishings but is best known as a wood the smoke of which provides a distinctive flavour to barbecue. There is a city named Mesquite outside of Dallas which claims to be the "Rodeo Capital of Texas".
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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?
