Fluorspar (synonym of Fluorite)
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The name Fluorite is in reference to its fluorine content. Fluorine is named from the Latin word fluere, meaning to flow, because it melts easily and is used as a flux in smelting. The term "spar" is from the Old English word spærstan, meaning spear stone, referring to a crystal's sharp, spearlike projections.

Fluorspar is a synonym of Fluorite. Spar is a historical term once referring to nonmetallic mineral crystals with sharp projections. The origin of "spar" is from the Old English word spærstan, meaning spear stone, referring to a crystal's sharp projections. The word spar in mineralogy has the same root as "spear." An example of this is Calcite, a mineral whose crystals often form with spearlike projections.

Today the term "spar" is frequently used by miners to simply describe any bright crystalline substance. Most frequently, spar describes easily cleaved, lightly colored nonmetallic minerals such as Barite or Calcite.