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basalt - 6 dictionary results
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ba⋅salt
[buh-sawlt, bas-awlt, bey-sawlt] 
–noun
| the dark, dense igneous rock of a lava flow or minor intrusion, composed essentially of labradorite and pyroxene and often displaying a columnar structure. |
Origin:
1595–1605; < L basaltēs, a misreading, in mss. of Pliny, of basanītēs < Gk basan
tēs (líthos) touchstone, equiv. to básan(os) touchstone (ult. < Egyptian b
n(w) graywacke) + -ītēs -ite 1 
1595–1605; < L basaltēs, a misreading, in mss. of Pliny, of basanītēs < Gk basan
tēs (líthos) touchstone, equiv. to básan(os) touchstone (ult. < Egyptian bn(w) graywacke) + -ītēs -ite 1 Related forms:
ba⋅sal⋅tic, ba⋅sal⋅tine [buh-sawl-tin, -tahyn] , adjective
[buh-sawl-tin, -tahyn] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To basalt
| ba·salt (bə-sôlt', bā'sôlt') n.
[Latin basaltēs, alteration of basanītēs, touchstone, from Greek basanītēs (lithos), from basanos, of Egyptian origin.] ba·sal'tic (-sôl'tĭk) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Basalt
Ba*salt"\, n. [N. basaltes (an African word), a dark and hard species of marble found in Ethiopia: cf. F. basalte.]1. (Geol.) A rock of igneous origin, consisting of augite and triclinic feldspar, with grains of magnetic or titanic iron, and also bottle-green particles of olivine frequently disseminated. Note: It is usually of a greenish black color, or of some dull brown shade, or black. It constitutes immense beds in some regions, and also occurs in veins or dikes cutting through other rocks. It has often a prismatic structure as at the Giant's Causeway, in Ireland, where the columns are as regular as if the work of art. It is a very tough and heavy rock, and is one of the best materials for macadamizing roads. 2. An imitation, in pottery, of natural basalt; a kind of black porcelain.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : basalt
Spanish:
basalto,
German:
der Basalt,
Japanese:
玄武岩
basalt [(buh-sawlt, bay-sawlt)]
A hard, dense igneous rock that makes up much of the material in tectonic plates. The part of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans consists mainly of basalt whereas continental crust consists mainly of less dense rocks, such as granite. (See plate tectonics.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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basalt
1601, from L.L. basaltes, misspelling of L. basanites "very hard stone," from Gk. basanites "a species of slate used to test gold," from basanos "touchstone." Not connected with salt. Said by Pliny ["Historia," 36.58] to be an African word, perhaps Egypt. bauhan "slate."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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| basalt (bə-sôlt', bā'sôlt') Pronunciation Key
A dark, fine-grained, igneous rock consisting mostly of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene, and sometimes olivine. Basalt makes up most of the ocean floor and is the most common type of lava. It sometimes cools into characteristic hexagonal columns, as in the Giant's Causeway in Anterim, Northern Island. It is the fine-grained equivalent of gabbro. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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