Meanings
nounsunstone (countable and uncountable, plural sunstones)
plural sunstones
- countableuncountablechemistryA translucent form of feldspar having flakes of hematite, used as an ornamental stone.
- countableuncountableA stone, possibly Icelandic spar, said in late medieval sources to have been used by navigators in the Viking Age and later to find the location of the sun in an overcast sky, possibly via polarization of light.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nouna translucent quartz spangled with bits of mica or other minerals
Similar
Broader
quartztransparent gem
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sun + stone. Compare Icelandic sólarsteinn.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κεραύνιος
- κεραύνιος (keraúnios)a translucent form of feldspar with flakes of hematite
German Sonnenstein
- Sonnensteinnavigation aid
Cite this entry
APA
sunstone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunstone
MLA
“sunstone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunstone. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sunstone,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sunstone.
Source: sunstone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.