Min. Also 7–9 in L. form steatites. [ad. L. steatītis or -ītēs (Pliny), a. Gr. *στεατῖτις, -ίτις (λίθος), a stone resembling tallow, f. στεατ, στέαρ tallow, suet: see -ITE.] A massive variety of talc, commonly of a grey or greyish green color, with an unctuous or soapy feel; soap-stone.
α. [1601. Holland, Pliny, XXXVII. xi. II. 630. Some [precious stones] there be which bear the names of certain members of the body; as for example, Hepatites, of the liuer; Steatites, of the sundry sorts of fat, grease or tallow.]
1758. Borlase, Nat. Hist. Cornw., 66. There is a white steatites, in the parish of Guenap, of a more indurated Earth than the former.
1806. Gazetteer Scot. (ed. 2), 236. There are several beds of steatites or rock-soap.
1816. Parkes, Chem. Catech. (ed. 7), 533. Steatites, a kind of stone composed of silex, iron, and magnesia. Also called French chalk.
β. 1794. Schmeisser, Syst. Min., I. 192. Steatite Soap Stone.
1803. Malthus, Popul., I. v. 62. In New Caledonia, the inhabitants … are sometimes reduced to eat great pieces of steatite.
1879. Rutley, Stud. Rocks, x. 127. Serpentine, steatite, and limonite are probably the most common of these alteration-products of British eruptive rocks.
b. attrib.
1839. De la Beche, Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. iii. 97. Steatite veins are found traversing the serpentine.
1851. Catal. Gt. Exhib., 1421/1. Two carved steatite ornaments [from China].
1911. Petrie, Revolutions of Civilisation, iii. 54. The splendid steatite vises with reliefs of figures soon follow on this.
1911. Encycl. Brit., XXVI. 369/1. In Burma steatite pencils are used for writing on black paper.
Hence Steatitic, † Steatitical adjs., of or composed of steatite, of the nature of steatite.
1795. J. Hutton, Th. Earth, I. 616. I have a specimen of steatetical [sic] whinstone or basaltes from some part of Cumberland.
1796. Kirwan, Elem. Min. (ed. 2), I. 109. A steatitic rock.
1811. Pinkerton, Petral., II. 235. Basalt, in which the chrysolite is become very steatitical through decay.
1879. Rutley, Stud. Rocks, iii. 30. Giving rise to steatitic matter.
