galena

plural galenas · plural galenae

1. uncountableusuallychemistryA mineral, lead sulphide (PbS), mined as an ore for lead.First known use circa 1600.

   These samples had higher Pb²⁰⁶ and Pb²⁰⁸ abundances than any other galenas yet examined.

   1953, “Report of the Committee on the Measurement of Geologic Time”, in U.S, National Research Council, page 132

   3 more examples

   You can easily extract lead from galena, a natural mineral which has been used in crystal radio receivers.

   1939 November, Raymond B. Wailes, “Chemical Engineering for Home Experimenters”, in Popular Science, page 207

   1942, G. F. Loughlin, A. H. Koschmann, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Magdalena Mining District, New Mexico, Geological Survey Professional Paper, Issue 200, page 98, The galena of the ore contains microscopic inclusions of various forms that become visible upon polished surfaces etched with hydrochloric or nitric acid.

   Very little galena has been reported (recovered mostly from burial mounds) in the Great Lakes region indicating that the mineral was not a major interregional exchange commodity during this period. However, numerous galenas have been recovered from the lower Mississippi Valley region and Florida indicating that galena was part of an important north-south exchange system (Walthall 1981).

   2008, Sanghamitra Ghosh, Heavy Stable Isotope Investigations in Environmental Science and Archaeology, page 77

2. obsoleteuncountableusuallymedicineA remedy or antidote for poison; theriac

1. A place name for a number of United States towns and cities.
   1. A small city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska.
   2. A city, the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Named after the mineral galena.
   3. A census-designated place in Floyd County, Indiana.
   4. A city in Cherokee County, Kansas.
   5. A town in Kent County, Maryland.
   6. A small city, the county seat of Stone County, Missouri.
   7. A ghost town in Lander County, Nevada.
   8. A ghost town in Washoe County, Nevada.
   9. A village in Delaware County, Ohio.
   10. An unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon, United States.
   11. An unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.
   12. A ghost town in Snohomish County, Washington.