Meaning & use

steatite

noun·Advanced

A soft, greasy-feeling rock composed mainly of talc, also called soapstone.

See it in a sentence

The sculptor carved a small figurine from a block of steatite.

Ancient artisans used steatite to make seals because the stone was easy to engrave.

A note on using this word

Steatite is the mineralogical name most often used in geology and archaeology; soapstone is the everyday term for the same rock.

Words with a similar meaning

soapstone

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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