ophite
[ of-ahyt, oh-fahyt ]
/ ˈɒf aɪt, ˈoʊ faɪt /
noun Petrology.
a diabase in which elongate crystals of plagioclase are embedded in pyroxene.
Origin of ophite
1350–1400; Middle English
ophites < Latin
ophītēs serpentine stone < Greek
ophī́tēs (
líthos) serpentine (stone), equivalent to
óph(is) serpent +
-ī́tēs
-ite1
OTHER WORDS FROM ophite
o·phit·ic [oh-fit-ik] /oʊˈfɪt ɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby ophite
ophiolite,
ophiolite suite,
ophiology,
ophiophagous,
ophir,
ophite,
ophitic,
ophiuchus,
ophiuroid,
ophritis,
ophryon
Example sentences from the Web for ophite
British Dictionary definitions for ophite
ophite
/ (ˈəʊfaɪt) /
noun
any of several greenish mottled rocks with ophitic texture, such as dolerite and diabase
Word Origin for ophite
C17: from Latin
ophītēs, from Greek, from
ophis snake: because the mottled appearance resembles the markings of a snake