basalt
[ buh-sawlt, bas-awlt, bey-sawlt ]
/ bəˈsɔlt, ˈbæs ɔlt, ˈbeɪ sɔlt /
noun
the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure.
Origin of basalt
1595–1605; < Latin
basaltēs, a misreading, in manuscripts of Pliny, of
basanītēs < Greek
basanī́tēs (
líthos) touchstone, equivalent to
básan(os) touchstone (ultimately < Egyptian
bh̬n(w) graywacke) +
-ītēs
-ite1
OTHER WORDS FROM basalt
ba·sal·tic, ba·sal·tine [buh-sawl-tin, -tahyn] /bəˈsɔl tɪn, -taɪn/, adjective sub·ba·sal·tic, adjectiveWords nearby basalt
basal reader,
basal ridge,
basal rod,
basal vein,
basal-cell nevus syndrome,
basalt,
basaltware,
basanite,
bascinet,
bascule,
base
Example sentences from the Web for basaltic
British Dictionary definitions for basaltic
basalt
/ (ˈbæsɔːlt) /
noun
a fine-grained dark basic igneous rock consisting of plagioclase feldspar, a pyroxene, and olivine: the most common volcanic rock and usually extrusive
See flood basalt
a form of black unglazed pottery resembling basalt
Derived forms of basalt
basaltic, adjectiveWord Origin for basalt
C18: from Late Latin
basaltēs, variant of
basanītēs, from Greek
basanitēs touchstone, from
basanos, of Egyptian origin
Scientific definitions for basaltic
basalt
[ bə-sôlt′, bā′sôlt′ ]
A dark, fine-grained, igneous rock consisting mostly of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene, and sometimes olivine. Basalt makes up most of the ocean floor and is the most common type of lava. It sometimes cools into characteristic hexagonal columns, as in the Giant's Causeway in Anterim, Northern Island. It is the fine-grained equivalent of gabbro.
Cultural definitions for basaltic
basalt
[ (buh-sawlt, bay-sawlt) ]
A hard, dense igneous rock that makes up much of the material in tectonic plates. The part of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans consists mainly of basalt whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks, such as granite. (See plate tectonics.)