phenocryst
[ fee-nuh-krist, fen-uh- ]
/ ˈfi nə krɪst, ˈfɛn ə- /
noun Petrology.
any of the conspicuous crystals in a porphyritic rock.
Words nearby phenocryst
phenmetrazine,
pheno-,
phenobarbital,
phenobarbitone,
phenocopy,
phenocryst,
phenodeviant,
phenogram,
phenol,
phenol coefficient,
phenol red
British Dictionary definitions for phenocryst
phenocryst
/ (ˈfiːnəˌkrɪst, ˈfɛn-) /
noun
any of several large crystals that are embedded in a mass of smaller crystals in igneous rocks such as porphyry
Word Origin for phenocryst
C19: from
pheno- (shining) +
crystal
Scientific definitions for phenocryst
phenocryst
[ fē′nə-krĭst′ ]
A large crystal that is surrounded by a finer-grained matrix in an igneous rock. Phenocrysts are usually the first crystals to form from a cooling magma, and therefore have sufficient room to grow to a large size. They are analogous to porphyroblasts in metamorphic rock.