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Webster 1913 Edition
Basanite
Bas′a-nite
,Noun.
[L.
basanites
lapis, Gr. βάσανοσ
the touchstone: cf. F. basanite
.] (Min.)
Lydian stone, or black jasper, a variety of siliceous or flinty slate, of a grayish or bluish black color. It is employed to test the purity of gold, the amount of alloy being indicated by the color left on the stone when rubbed by the metal.
Webster 1828 Edition
Basanite
BAS'ANITE
,Noun.
Lydian stone, or black jasper; a variety of siliceous or flinty slate. Its color is a grayish or bluish black, interspersed with veins of quartz. It is employed to test the purity of gold.