Min. [a. Swed. thorit (Berzelius, 1828–9), f. Thor (as in thoria, thorium) + -ITE1 2 b.] Hydrous silicate of thorium, occurring crystalline, massive, and compact, orange-yellow (ORANGITE) to brownish-black or black, with a vitreous or resinous luster.
1832. [see THORIUM].
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 1239. It [thorina] was extracted from the mineral thorite, of which it constitutes 58 per cent.
1868. Dana, Min., 413. The brownish-black and black variety, from Lövö, Norway, was the mineral from which Berzelius obtained the metal thorium, and which received the name thorite.
