FLINT  (a word See also:

• COMMON

common in See also:

• TEUTONIC
• TEUTONIC (GERMANIC) LANGUAGES

Teutonic and Scandinavian See also:

• LANGUAGES

languages, possibly cognate with the Gr. aXfvOos, a See also:

• TILE (0. Eng. tigel, Fr. tuile, connected with Lat. tegula)

tile); in See also:

• PETROLOGY

petrology, a dark See also:

• GREY, CHARLES GREY, 2ND EARL (1764-1845)
• GREY, HENRY GREY, 3RD EARL (1802-1894)
• GREY, LADY JANE (1537-1554)
• GREY, SIR EDWARD
• GREY, SIR GEORGE (1812–1898)

grey or dark See also:

• BROWN
• BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
• BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
• BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
• BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
• BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
• BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
• BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
• BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
• BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
• BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
• BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
• BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
• BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
• BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
• BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
• BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
• BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
• BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
• BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
• BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
• BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
• BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)

brown crypto-crystalline substance which has an almost vitreous lustre, and when pure appears structureless to the unaided See also:

• EYE
• EYE (O. Eng. edge, Ger. Auge; derived from an Indo-European root also seen in Lat. oc-ulus, the organ of vision (q.v.)

eye . In the See also:

• MASS (O.E. maesse; Fr. messe; Ger. Messe; Ital. messa; from eccl. Lat. missa)
• MASS, IN

mass it is dark and opaque, but thin plates or the edges of splinters are See also:

• PALE (through Fr. pal, from Lat. palms, a stake, for paglus, from the stem pag- of pangere, to fix; " pole " is from the same original source)

pale yellow and translucent . Its hardness is greater than that of See also:

• STEEL, FLORA ANNIE (1847– )

steel, so that a See also:

• KNIFE (0. E. cuff, a word appearing in different forms in many Teutonic languages, cf. Du. knijf, Ger. Kneif, a shoe-maker's knife, Swed. knif; the ultimate origin is unknown; Skeat finds the origin in the root of " nip," formerly " knip "; Fr. canif is a

knife blade leaves a grey metallic streak when See also:

• DRAWN

drawn across its See also:

• SURFACE

surface . Its specific gravity is 2.6 or only a little less than that of crystalline See also:

• QUARTZ

quartz . It is brittle, and when hammered readily breaks up into a See also:

• POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder of angular grains . The fracture is perfectly conchoidal, so that blows with a See also:

• HAMMER, FRIEDRICH JULIUS (1810-1862)

hammer detach flakes which have See also:

• CONVEX

convex, slightly undulating surfaces . At the point of impact a bulb of percussion, which is a somewhat elevated conical See also:

• MARK
• MARK, CARL (1858– )
• MARK, GOSPEL OF ST
• MARK, ST

mark, is produced . This serves to distinguish flints which have been fashioned by human agencies from those which have been split merely by the See also:

• ACTION

action of See also:

• FROST (a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch, vorst, Ger. Frost, from the common Teutonic verb meaning " to freeze," Dutch, vriezcn, Ger. frieren; the Indo-European root is seen in Lat. pruina, hoar-frost, cf. prurire, to itch, burn, pruna, burning coal, Sans
• FROST, WILLIAM EDWARD (1810–1877)

frost and the See also:

• WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather . The bulb is See also:

• EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence of a See also:

• DIRECT

direct See also:

• BLOW, JOHN (1648-1708)

blow, probably intentionally made, and is a point of some importance to archaeologists investigating See also:

• PALAEOLITHIC (Gr. iraXates, old, and )tWBor, stone)

Palaeolithic implements . With skill and experience a mass of flint can be worked to any See also:

• SIMPLE

simple shape by well directed strokes, and further trimming can be effected with pressure by a pointed See also:

• STONE
• STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
• STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
• STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
• STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
• STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
• STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
• STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
• STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)

stone in a direction slightly across the edge of the weapon . The purest flints have the most perfect conchoidal fracture, and prehistoric See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man is known to have quarried or See also:

• MINED

mined certain bands of flint which were specially suitable for his purposes . See also:

• SILICA

Silica forms nearly the whole substance of flint; See also:

• CALCITE

calcite and See also:

• DOLOMITE

dolomite may occur in it in small amounts, and See also:

• ANALYSIS (Gr. avci and Meta, to break up into parts)

analysis has also detected See also:

• MINUTE
• MINUTE (Lat. minutes, small; minuere, to make less)

minute quantities of volatile ingredients, organic compounds, &c., to which the dark See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour is ascribed by some authorities .

These are dispelled by See also:

• HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat and the flint becomes See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white and duller in lustre . Microscopic sections show that flint is very finely crystal-See also:

• LINE

line and consists of quartz or chalcedonic silica; colloidal or amorphous silica may also be See also:

• PRESENT

present but cannot See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form, any considerable See also:

• PART

part of the See also:

• ROCK
• ROCK (O.Fr. rake, Sp. rota, Ital. rocca; possibly from a Lat. form rupica, from rupes, rock)
• ROCK, DANIEL (1799–187t)

rock . Spicules of See also:

• SPONGES

sponges and fragments of other organisms, such as molluscs, See also:

• POLYZOA

polyzoa, See also:

• FORAMINIFERA

foraminifera and brachiopods, often occur in flint, and may be partly or wholly silicified with retention of their See also:

• ORIGINAL

original structure . Nodules of flint when removed from the See also:

• CHALK

chalk which encloses them have a white dull rough surface, and ,exposure to the weather produces much the same See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance on broken flints . At first they acquire a See also:

• BRIGHT, JOHN (1811-188g)
• BRIGHT, SIR CHARLES TILSTON

bright and very smooth surface, but this is subsequently replaced by a dull crust, resembling white or yellowish See also:

• PORCELAIN

porcelain . It has been suggested that this See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change is due to the removal of the colloidal silica in See also:

• SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution, leaving behind the See also:

• FIBRES
• FIBRES (or FIBERS, in American spelling; from Lat. fibra, apparently connected either with filum, thread, or findere, to split)

fibres and grains of more crystalline structure . This See also:

• PROCESS

process must be a very slow one as, from its chemical See also:

• COMPOSITION
• COMPOSITION (Lat. compositio, from componere, to put together)

composition, flint is a material of See also:

• GREAT

great durability . Its great hardness also enables it to resist See also:

• ATTRITION (Lat. attritio, formed from atterere, to rub away)

attrition . Hence on beaches and in See also:

• RIVERS
• RIVERS, ANTHONY WOODVILLE, or WYDEVILLE, 2ND EARL (c. 1442—1483)
• RIVERS, EARL
• RIVERS, RICHARD SAVAGE, 4TH EARL (c. 1660—1712)

rivers, such as those of the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south-See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

east of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England, flint pebbles exist in vast See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers . Their surfaces often show minute crescentic or rounded cracks which are the edges of small conchoidal fractures produced by the impact of one pebble on another during storms or floods . Flint occurs primarily as concretions, See also:

• VEINS

veins and See also:

• TABULAR

tabular masses in the white chalk of such localities as the south of England (see CHALK) . It is generally nodular, and forms rounded or highly irregular masses which may be several feet in See also:

• DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter .

Although the flint nodules often See also:

• LIE, JONAS LAURITZ EDEMIL (1833—1908)
• LIE, MARIUS SOPHUS (1842–1899)

lie in bands which closely follow the bedding; they were not deposited simultaneously with the chalk; very often the flint bands cut across the beds of the See also:

• LIMESTONE

limestone and may See also:

• TRAVERSE

traverse them at right angles . Evidently the flint has accumulated along fissures, such as bedding planes, See also:

• JOINTS

joints and other cracks, after the chalk had to some extent consolidated . The silica was derived from the tests of See also:

• RADIOLARIA

radiolaria and the spicular skeletons of sponges . It has passed into solution, filtered through the porous See also:

• MATRIX

matrix, and has been again precipitated when the conditions were suitable . Its formation is consequently the result of " concretionary action." Where the flints lie the chalk must have been dissolved away; we have in fact a See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of metasomatic replacement in which a siliceous rock has slowly replaced a calcareous one . The process has been very See also:

• GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual and the organisms of the original chalk often have their outlines preserved in the flint . Shells may become completely silicified, or may have their cavities occupied by flint with every detail of the interior of the See also:

• SHELL
• SHELL (O. Eng. scell, scyll, cf. Du. sceel, shell, Goth. skalja, tile; the word means originally a thin flake,. cf. Swed. skalja, to peel off; it is allied to " scale " and " skill," from a root meaning to cleave, divide, separate)

shell preserved in the See also:

• OUTER

outer surface of the See also:

• CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast . See also:

• OBJECTS

Objects of this kind are See also:

• FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar to all collectors of fossils in chalk districts . Chert is a coarser and less perfectly homogeneous substance of the same nature and composition as flint . It is grey, See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

black or brown, and commonly occurs in limestone (e.g. the Carboniferous Limestone) in the same way as flint occurs in chalk . Some cherts contain tests of radiolaria, and correspond fairly closely to the siliceous radiolarian oozes which are gathering at the present See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day at the bottom of some of the deepest parts of the oceans . Brownish cherts are found in the See also:

• ENGLISH

English See also:

• GREENSAND

Greensand; these often contain remains of sponges .

The See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal uses to which flint has been put are the fabrication of weapons in Palaeolithic and See also:

• NEOLITHIC, or LATER STONE AGE (Gr. vEOr, new, and XLOos, stone)

Neolithic times . Other materials have been employed where flint was not available, e.g. See also:

• OBSIDIAN

obsidian, chert, See also:

• CHALCEDONY, or CALCEDONY (sometimes called by old writers cassidoine)

chalcedony, See also:

• AGATE

agate and, See also:

• QUARTZITE

quartzite, but to prehistoric man (see FLINT IMPLEMENTS below) flint must have been of great value and served many of the uses to which steel is put at the present day . Flint gravels are widely employed for dressing walks and roads, and for rough-cast See also:

• WORK

work in See also:

• ARCHITECTURE (Lat. architectura, from the Gr. ap)(LTEKrwv, a master-builder)

architecture . For road-mending flint, though very hard, is not regarded with favour, as it is brittle and pulverizes readily; binds badly, yielding a surface which breaks up with heavy See also:

• TRAFFIC

traffic and in See also:

• BAD, BCD

bad weather; and its See also:

• FINE

fine See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp-edged chips do much damage to tires of See also:

• MOTORS, ELECTRIC

motors and cycles . Seasoned flintsfrom the See also:

• LAND

land, having been See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long exposed to the See also:

• ATMOSPHERE (Gr. fir µ6r, vapour; orkaipa, a sphere)

atmosphere, are preferred to flints freshly dug from the chalk pits . Formerly flint and steel were everywhere employed for striking a See also:

• LIGHT

light; and See also:

• GUN

gun flints were required for See also:

• FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire-arms . A See also:

• SPECIAL

special See also:

• INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry in the shaping of gun flints long existed at See also:

• BRANDON

Brandon in See also:

• SUFFOLK
• SUFFOLK, CHARLES BRANDON, 1ST DUKE OF (c. 1484–'545)
• SUFFOLK, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• SUFFOLK, THOMAS HOWARD, 1ST EARL OF (1561-1626)
• SUFFOLK, WILLIAM DE LA POLE

Suffolk . In 187o about See also:

• THIRTY

thirty men were employed . Since then the See also:

• TRADE (O. Eng. trod, footstep, from tredan, to tread; in M. Eng. the forms teed, trod and trade appear, the last in the sense of a beaten track)
• TRADE, BOARD OF

trade has become almost See also:

• EXTINCT

extinct as gun flints are in demand only in semi-See also:

• SAVAGE
• SAVAGE, MINOT JUDSON (1841– )
• SAVAGE, RICHARD (d. 1743)

savage countries where See also:

• MODERN

modern fire-arms are not obtainable . Powdered flint was formerly used in the manufacture of See also:

• GLASS
• GLASS (O.E. glees, cf. Ger. Glas, perhaps derived from an old Teutonic root gla-, a variant of glo-, having the general sense of shining, cf. " glare," " glow ")
• GLASS, STAINED

glass, and is still one of the ingredients of many of the finer varieties of pottery . (J . S .