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a common mineral, calcium fluorophosphate, Ca 5 FP 3 O 12 , occurring in individual crystals and in masses and varying in color, formerly used in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers.
Historical Examples

apatite, ap′a-tīt, n. a phosphate of lime of great variety of colour.
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) Various

The usual association with apatite and magnetite crystals is noted.
Mount Rainier Various

Phos′phorite, a massive radiated variety of apatite; Phos′phuret, a compound of phosphorus with a metal.
Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) Various

With regard to its mode of occurrence, apatite is found under a variety of conditions.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 Various

In its general appearance, apatite exhibits wide variations.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 Various

The “asparagus-stone” is a form of apatite, simulating asparagus in colour.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 Various

The accessory minerals of these rocks are principally oligoclase, muscovite, apatite and zircon.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2 Various

apatite (phosphate of lime) and pyromorphite (phosphate of lead) contain a considerable amount of it.
A Textbook of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. Cornelius Beringer and John Jacob Beringer

Phosphorite is another name for apatite, but is chiefly applied to impure amorphous apatite.
Manures and the principles of manuring Charles Morton Aikman

apatite is doubtless derived from the remains of animals or fishes that lived in the distant past.
The A B C of Mining Charles A. Bramble

noun
a pale green to purple mineral, found in igneous rocks and metamorphosed limestones. It is used in the manufacture of phosphorus, phosphates, and fertilizers. Composition: calcium fluorophosphate or calcium chlorophosphate. General formula: Ca5(PO4,CO3)3(F,OH,Cl). Crystal structure: hexagonal
apatite
(āp’ə-tīt’)
Any of several, usually green, transparent, hexagonal minerals consisting of calcium phosphate with either fluorine, hydroxyl, chlorine or carbonate. Apatite occurs in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, and is used as a source of phosphate for making fertilizers. Chemical formula: Ca5(PO4CO3)3(F,OH,Cl).