pegmatite

[ peg-muh-tahyt ]
/ ˈpɛg məˌtaɪt /

noun Petrology.

a coarsely crystalline granite or other high-silica rock occurring in veins or dikes.

Origin of pegmatite

1825–35; < Greek pēgmat- (stem of pêgma) anything fastened together, a bond (compare pēgnýein to stick) + -ite1

OTHER WORDS FROM pegmatite

peg·ma·tit·ic [peg-muh-tit-ik] /ˌpɛg məˈtɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby pegmatite

pegbox, pegged tooth, pegging, peggy, pegler, pegmatite, pegu, pegwood, peh, pehlevi, pei

Example sentences from the Web for pegmatite

British Dictionary definitions for pegmatite

pegmatite
/ (ˈpɛɡməˌtaɪt) /

noun

any of a class of exceptionally coarse-grained intrusive igneous rocks consisting chiefly of quartz and feldspar: often occurring as dykes among igneous rocks of finer grain

Derived forms of pegmatite

pegmatitic (ˌpɛɡməˈtɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for pegmatite

C19: from Greek pegma something joined together

Scientific definitions for pegmatite

pegmatite
[ pĕg′mə-tīt′ ]

Any of various coarse-grained igneous rocks that often occur as wide veins cutting across other types of rock. Pegmatites form from water-rich magmas or lavas that cool slowly, allowing the crystals to grow to large sizes. Although pegmatites can be compositionally similar to a number of rocks, they most often have the composition of granite.