obsidian
Use Obsidian in a sentence
i noun
a volcanic glass similar in composition to granite, usually dark but transparent in thin pieces, and having a good conchoidal fracture.
Origin:
1350–1400; < Latin Obsidiānus, printer's error for Obsiānus pertaining to Obsius, the discoverer (according to Pliny) of a similar mineral in Ethiopia; replacing Middle English obsianus < Latin; see -an
1350–1400; < Latin Obsidiānus, printer's error for Obsiānus pertaining to Obsius, the discoverer (according to Pliny) of a similar mineral in Ethiopia; replacing Middle English obsianus < Latin; see -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Obsidian
Collins
World English Dictionary
obsidian (ɒbˈsɪdɪən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| Also called: Iceland agate a dark volcanic glass formed by very rapid solidification of lava | |
| [C17: from Latin obsidiānus, erroneous transcription of obsiānus (lapis) (stone of) Obsius, the name (in Pliny) of the discoverer of a stone resembling obsidian] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Obsidian
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
obsidian
1656, from L. obsidianus, misprint of obsianus (lapis) "(stone) of Obsius," a Roman alleged by Pliny to have found this rock in Ethiopia.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| obsidian (ŏb-sĭd'ē-ən) Pronunciation Key
A shiny, usually black, volcanic glass. Obsidian forms above ground from lava that is similar in composition to the magma from which granite forms underground, but cools so quickly that minerals do not have a chance to form within it. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Obsidian artifacts absorb water, or hydrate, at a specific rate.
When obsidian breaks it fractures with a distinct conchoidal fracture.
Obsidian affords an added bonus for archeologists in that each volcanic flow has unique chemical elements.
Freshly knapped obsidian begins to absorb water on its newly exposed surfaces.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
