Habit: Yellowish brown, reddish brown, red, gray, white, pale yellow or greenish. Short to long prismatic crystals, may be pyramidal or equant; also radial or rosette-like aggregates of coarse crystals. Vitreous to resinous luster; translucent to opaque. White streak.
Environment: An accessory mineral in alkalic to granitic rocks, well-developed in associated pegmatites. Also a very common detrital mineral in placers.
Etymology: From the Greek words for "vain" and "honor," because when it was first described, the yttrium in xenotime was mistakenly believed to be a new element.