groundmass

[ground-mas]

noun

the crystalline, granular, or glassy base or matrix of a porphyritic or other igneous rock, in which the more prominent crystals are embedded.

Origin:
1875–80; ground¹ + mass

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Groundmass is always a great word to know.

So is quincunx. Does it mean:

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

groundmass (ˈɡraʊndˌmæs)

—n
	the matrix of igneous rocks, such as porphyry, in which larger crystals (phenocrysts) are embedded

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Related Words

orthophyric porphyry cement

granophyre lamprophyre microlitic

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groundmass

ground·mass