anorthosite

[ an-awr-thuh-sahyt ]

nounPetrology.
  1. a granular plutonic rock composed largely of labradorite or a more calcic feldspar.

Origin of anorthosite

1
1860–65; <French anorthose anorthoclase (an-an-1 + Greek orthós straight) + -ite1

Other words from anorthosite

  • an·or·tho·sit·ic [an-aw-thuh-sit-ik], /ænˌɔ θəˈsɪt ɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby anorthosite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use anorthosite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for anorthosite

anorthosite

/ (ænˈɔːθəˌsaɪt) /


noun
  1. a coarse-grained plutonic igneous rock consisting almost entirely of plagioclase feldspar

Origin of anorthosite

1
C19: from French anorthose (see an-, ortho-) + -ite 1

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

Scientific definitions for anorthosite

anorthosite

[ ăn-ôrthə-sīt′ ]


  1. An igneous rock consisting almost entirely of plagioclase feldspar, especially the labradorite variety. Anorthosites have been identified among rock samples collected from the Moon.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.