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basalt

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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 basantēs (líthos) touchstone, equiv. to básan(os) touchstone (ult. < Egyptian bn(w) graywacke) + -ītēs -ite 1


ba⋅sal⋅tic, ba⋅sal⋅tine [buh-sawl-tin, -tahyn] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ba·salt   (bə-sôlt', bā'sôlt')   
n.  
  1. A hard, dense, dark volcanic rock composed chiefly of plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine, and often having a glassy appearance.

  2. A kind of hard unglazed pottery.


[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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Cultural Dictionary

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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Word Origin & History

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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Science Dictionary
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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