n.
Variant: or spi · nelle
Pronunciation: sp ə - ' nel
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian spinella, diminutive of spina thorn, from L
Date: 1528
1 : a hard crystalline mineral consisting of an oxide of magnesium and aluminum that varies from colorless to ruby red to black and is used as a gem
2 : any of a group of minerals that are essentially oxides of magnesium, ferrous iron, zinc, or manganese