melaphyre

[ mel-uh-fahyuhr ]

nounPetrology.
  1. a type of dark igneous rock embedded with feldspar crystals, related to basalt.

Other words from melaphyre

  • mel·a·phyr·ic [mel-uh-fir-ik], /ˌmɛl əˈfɪr ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby melaphyre

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How to use melaphyre in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for melaphyre

melaphyre

/ (ˈmɛləˌfaɪə) /


noun
  1. geology obsolete a type of weathered amygdaloidal basalt or andesite

Origin of melaphyre

1
C19: via French from Greek melas black + (por) phura purple

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012