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al·lo·phane

(ălə-fān′)

An amorphous, translucent, variously colored mineral, essentially hydrous aluminum silicate.

[From Greek allophanēs, appearing otherwise : allos, other; see ALLO- + phainesthai, phan-, to appear, passive of phainein, to show; see bhā-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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