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magma

 - 7 dictionary results

mag⋅ma

  [mag-muh]
Use magma in a Sentence
–noun, plural -mas, -ma⋅ta  [-muh-tuh] .
1. Geology. molten material beneath or within the earth's crust, from which igneous rock is formed.
2. any crude mixture of finely divided mineral or organic matter.
3. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a paste composed of solid and liquid matter.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L: dregs, leavings < Gk mágma kneaded mass, salve, equiv. to mag- (base of mássein to knead, press; see mass ) + -ma n. suffix of result

Related forms:
mag⋅mat⋅ic  [mag-mat-ik] , adjective
mag⋅ma⋅tism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To magma
mag·ma   (māg'mə)   
n.   pl. mag·ma·ta (-mä'tə) or mag·mas

  1. A mixture of finely divided solids with enough liquid to produce a pasty mass.

  2. Geology The molten rock material under the earth's crust, from which igneous rock is formed by cooling.

  3. Pharmacology A suspension of particles in a liquid, such as milk of magnesia.

  4. The residue of fruits after the juice has been expressed; pomace.


[Middle English, sediment, dregs, from Latin, from Greek, unguent, from massein, mag-, to knead; see mag- in Indo-European roots.]
mag·mat'ic (-māt'ĭk) 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

magma

Molten rock usually located deep within the mantle of the Earth that occasionally comes to the surface through cracks in the mantle or through the eruption of volcanoes.

Note: When magma cools and solidifies, it forms igneous rock, of which lava is one type.
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

magma 
c.1420, "dregs," from L. magma "dregs of an ointment," from Gk. magma "an ointment," from root of massein "to knead, mold," from PIE *mag- "kneading" (see macerate). Geological meaning "molten rock" is 1865.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mag·ma
Pronunciation: 'mag-m&
Function: noun
1 : a crude mixture of mineral or organic matter in the state of a thin paste
2 : a suspension of a large amount of precipitated material (as in milk of magnesia or milk of bismuth) in a small volume of a watery vehicle
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

magma mag·ma (māg'mə)
n.

  1. A mixture of finely divided solids with enough liquid to produce a pasty mass.

  2. A suspension of particles in a liquid, such as milk of magnesia.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

Magma symbolic mathematics, tool
A program used for heavy duty algebraic computation in many branches of mathematics. Magma, developed by John Cannon and associates at the University of Sydney, succeeded Cayley. It runs at several hundred sites.
E-mail: .
(http://maths.usyd.edu.au:8000/u/magma/).
[W. Bosma, J. Cannon and C. Playoust, The Magma algebra system I: The user language, J. Symb. Comp., 24, 3/4, 1997, 235-265].
(2000-12-21)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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