porphyry

[ pawr-fuh-ree ]
/ ˈpɔr fə ri /

noun, plural por·phy·ries.

a very hard rock, anciently quarried in Egypt, having a dark, purplish-red groundmass containing small crystals of feldspar.
Petrology. any igneous rock containing coarse crystals, as phenocrysts, in a finer-grained groundmass.

Origin of porphyry

1350–1400; Middle English porfurie, porfirie < Medieval Latin porphyreum, alteration of Latin porphyrītēs < Greek porphyrī́tēs porphyry, short for porphyrī́tēs líthos porphyritic (i.e., purplish) stone, equivalent to pórphyr(os) purple + -ītēs; see -ite1

Words nearby porphyry

porphyrize, porphyroblast, porphyrogenite, porphyroid, porphyropsin, porphyry, porpoise, porrect, porridge, porrigo, porringer

Definition for porphyry (2 of 2)

Porphyry
[ pawr-fuh-ree ]
/ ˈpɔr fə ri /

noun

Malchus,a.d. c233–c304, Greek philosopher.

OTHER WORDS FROM Porphyry

Por·phyr·e·an [pawr-feer-ee-uh n] /pɔrˈfɪər i ən/, adjective Por·phyr·i·an, adjective, noun Por·phyr·i·an·ist, noun

Example sentences from the Web for porphyry

British Dictionary definitions for porphyry (1 of 2)

porphyry
/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

any igneous rock with large crystals embedded in a finer groundmass of minerals
obsolete a reddish-purple rock consisting of large crystals of feldspar in a finer groundmass of feldspar, hornblende, etc

Word Origin for porphyry

C14 porfurie, from Late Latin porphyrītēs, from Greek porphuritēs ( lithos) purple (stone), from porphuros purple

British Dictionary definitions for porphyry (2 of 2)

Porphyry
/ (ˈpɔːfɪrɪ) /

noun

original name Malchus. 232–305 ad, Greek Neo-Platonist philosopher, born in Syria; disciple and biographer of Plotinus

Scientific definitions for porphyry

porphyry
[ pôr′fə-rē ]

An igneous rock containing the large crystals known as phenocrysts embedded in a fine-grained matrix.

Other words from porphyry

porphyritic adjective (pôr′fə-rĭt′ĭk)